Till We Meet Again
by MaverickLover2
Summary: Bart and Doralice Maverick are the parents of two-year-old twin girls when they get a telegram with good news – old friend Anderson Garrett is coming to visit. But things aren't always what they seem.
1. Prologue

Till We Meet Again Prologue

"Why didn't . . . you marry . . . Rose?"

It was a reasonable question, and if the man that asked it hadn't been bleeding all over the saloon floor I might have taken the time to answer it. But this was no ordinary man, and no stranger to me. This was my old friend Anderson Garrett, and he was bleeding heavily while Willie hurried up the street after Simon Petry.

We'd been trying for over a week to prevent this, or something even worse, from happening, and we'd evidently not succeeded. And as I leaned over Anderson and encouraged him to hang on, I felt like I hadn't done enough for the man that at one time wanted to be my father-in-law.

That was a long time ago, and my entire life had changed since then. Anderson's had changed, too, not necessarily for the better, and so had his daughter's, the aforementioned Rose. But we were in my hometown, Little Bend, Texas, and we thought Anderson was safe.

Doctor Simon Petry got to the saloon and took a quick look at the bullet wound, then turned his attention to me. "Help me get him back to my office, would you, Bart? I need to take the bullet out, and I can't do it here."

"Sure, Simon. Come on, Anderson, let's get you up," I suggested as I got on Anderson's uninjured side and helped him to his feet. He draped his arm over my shoulders, and we began the walk to Simon's office, four doors up the street. Into the exam room, which I'd seen too many times to count, and then out to the waiting room. I sat there for more than an hour before I got any word from Simon, and I thought back over this visit, and wondered what Anderson's next move was gonna be.


	2. The Telegram

Chapter 1 – The Telegram

Life had been more or less hectic ever since the twins were born. That would be Maude and Isabelle Maverick, and I'm their father, Bart Maverick. Their mother and me were surprised there were two babies, but no more surprised than Doc, our friend Simon Petry. Doralice had gotten pretty big before the birth, but we all just figured it was first baby big. Pretty naïve of all of us. Like I said, we were surprised, thrilled, and immediately overwhelmed.

The girls, named after both our mothers, were almost two years old now, and while things had settled down some, you can't begin to imagine how they kept us on our toes. Maudie is a little firecracker and is always into some kind of mischief. She's also the oldest, by just a few minutes. Isabelle is sweet and sedate, and we named her right. She reminds me so much of my own mother, who died when I was just five years old. Not that she can't be just as much of a handful as Maudie; just not as often.

Like I said, things at our house are hectic. I run Maude's, the biggest and most beautiful saloon north of the Colorado River. Doralice still comes in to help out when she needs a break from two rambunctious children, and we have a housekeeper named Maria Elena who's always ready to switch to nanny mode.

There's also my older brother Bret, who's still what most people would call a 'roving gambler,' and his ladylove, Ginny Malone. Ginny is a Captain for the Pinkerton Detective Agency and moves around the country quite a bit for various cases, and Bret travels with her when he can. When that's not possible, he comes back to Little Bend and spends time with us. Both girls adore him, and the feeling is mutual.

And then there's our friend and Doralice's business partner, Pauly Wilcox, who is . . . I don't quite know how to describe Pauly. A carpenter, an inventor, and all-around jack-of-all-trades, Pauly spends as much time at our house as anybody. Part of that's because Doralice has always got him adding something on to the place, whether it's another bedroom or a bigger 'shed' for the cow. Right after Doralice and me got married we bought two pieces of land that adjoined our property from Jasper Willoughby, where we added two more bedrooms, and we'd continued to expand ever since. I'd just purchased the acre and a half directly behind our house, and Doralice had Pauly getting ready to add on two or three more rooms, plus a bigger henhouse and accommodations for another cow. This was beginning to look like a farm, but Doralice had a feeling we were gonna need the extra room, and I trusted her instincts. Which meant that Pauly was practically living with us, too.

So the last thing I expected was to get a telegram from an old friend asking if he could stop by for a few days. The friend being Anderson Garrett, who I hadn't seen since a poker tournament in Sedona several years ago. I know I should have checked with my wife first, but I was so excited I didn't think, just hurried back to the telegraph office to send a hasty reply. _'Would love to have you. Have three beauties of my own to show off. Can't wait to see you. Bart.'_ Then I came to my senses and stopped by the house, to tell Doralice what I'd done.

The first sound that greeted me was Pauly's hammering. The second was Maudie crying. The third was the 'Brrrrrrruuuppp' sound that Lucy made when she was in the vicinity. The hammering stopped; Maudie didn't. Lucy followed me into the girls' bedroom, where I found Doralice trying to comfort our oldest daughter. I looked at my beautiful girls and realized one was missing.

"Isabelle?" I asked.

"Outside watching Pauly." Maudie got down off her mother's lap and ran straight to me, trying, as she always did, to untie my tie.

"Poppy," she giggled. That was as close as she got to Pappy. "Tie?"

"What are you doin' here in the middle of the day?" Doralice asked.

"Uh," was about all I got out before I had to stand up and hold Maudie away from my neckwear. She immediately began to clench and unclench her little fist, trying desperately to get her hands on the tie. I set her down on the floor and she ran straight back to her mother. At least she was no longer crying. "I got a telegram this afternoon."

"From Bret?" It was a natural question. We hadn't seen Bret in almost three months.

"Nope. From Anderson Garrett."

"Don't tell me . . . he's finally coming to visit."

I nodded. "He is if it's alright with you."

Doralice laughed, that delicious, sexy laugh that I loved so much. "Of course it is. I hope you told him so."

She knew me too well. Before I could say anything, Isabelle came toddling into the bedroom with Lucy in her arms. Well, half in her arms; the back half of Lucy was sort of draggin' on the floor. I don't know how she managed to carry the animal at all; Lucy was almost as big as Isabelle. "Da-da," Isabelle babbled, and immediately turned loose of the cat. I squatted down on the floor and my little Belle let go of the cat and flung herself at me. She was grinning from ear to ear when I stood up with her in my arms, and was happy just to be held by daddy.

"What's Pauly working on now? The new chicken coop?" I walked over to the back window and looked outside. Isabelle looked outside with me and I heard her murmur, "Pauly." At least I think it was "Pauly." "What's he doin'?" I whispered in her ear.

"Tickles, Da-da."

She could say 'Pauly' and 'tickles' just fine, but I still got 'Da-da.' Oh well, at least it wasn't 'Poppy.'

Maria Elena came into the bedroom and took Belle from me. "Nap time," she announced, and I went out into the front room so that my little ladies could both be put into bed. It only took about ten minutes and both girls were fast asleep; Maria Elena went back to her work, and Doralice followed me.

"Why do they fall asleep so easily at nap time and not at night?" I asked.

Doralice shrugged. "I wish I knew." She smiled at me before asking, "When's Anderson coming?"

"He didn't say, but I have a feeling it's soon. The wire came from Austin."

"I'll have Maria Elena get the guest room ready for him." The hammering stopped outside; I think Maria had told Pauly the girls were asleep. He came in the back door and tipped his hat.

"Mrs. Doralice. How many rooms we buildin' this time?"

"Two more, Pauly. But I need you to make the kitchen bigger, too. Can you do that?"

I remember when Pappy thought we should just buy a bigger house rather than expand. Problem is, this one couldn't be any more perfectly located. The doctor's office is right up the street, and the saloon is less than five minutes away. Freeley's Emporium is almost across the street, and because we're so close, they deliver. So it's really convenient here. And the school isn't too far away, either. Someday that'll be important. While Pauly and Doralice discussed the kitchen expansion, I slipped into the twin's bedroom to give them a kiss goodbye. Isabelle never stirred, but Maudie opened her eyes and put her little arms around my neck.

"Poppy, wuv you."

"I love you too, buttercup. You be a good girl for momma, you hear me?"

"Always good, poppy." The little brown eyes, just like mine, drifted closed quickly, and her arms slipped to her side. How did I ever get so lucky?


	3. Andy

Chapter 2 – Andy

I'd guessed correctly about Anderson showing up soon; it was three days later and I was going over the latest supply order when Willie came to find me. "Bart, there's a gentleman out front would like to see you. Says he's an old friend of yours."

"I'll be right out, Willie." I left my papers in a neat stack and slipped on my coat. I figured it was Anderson, but you can't take anything for granted in the saloon business. I had a clear line of sight to the bar as soon as I stepped out of my office, and I needn't have worried . . . it was, indeed, Mr. Garrett. As I headed for the bar I was pleased to see Anderson looking better than he had the last time we'd been together. His hair was still white, but he was robust and healthy looking, the way he'd been when we first met; the tired, haggard look was gone from his face and eyes. And there was a difference in his clothes, too – they looked much like they had years ago, fine materials, well-tailored and fitted perfectly to him. It made me smile . . . the problems he'd had must have worked out in Anderson's favor.

"Bart!" he called out heartily as soon as he caught sight of me. We embraced, as old friends do, and then he held me at arm's length. "You look wonderful! I never would have believed that marriage and fatherhood would have agreed with you so well!"

"You look good, yourself, Anderson. Looks like everything must have worked out with the ranch and your son-in-law."

The smile on his face slowly faded, and he was much more serious looking. "With the ranch, at least. But let's not talk about that right now. I want to hear all about your life and your family."

I picked up his bag and turned to Willie. "I'll be back in about an hour, Willie. Hold the fort down till then, would you?"

"Yes, sir, boss." Willie smiled, like he always did, and gave me a salute. When Randy left for greener pastures, Willie had taken over as head bartender. I was fortunate to have him.

"Come on, Anderson, I can't wait for you to meet my beauties. Doralice is more than anxious to finally put a face with a name." We headed out of the saloon and up the street. Anderson seemed impressed.

"I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes . . . you actually staying in one place and running a saloon. And a mighty fine saloon it is, too. Does Maude still own it?"

I didn't catch on at first, but my old friend sounded like he knew my mother-in-law. "She does, or at least most of it. I own a stake in it. But you said 'Maude' like you knew her. Do you?"

Anderson laughed and nodded. "Many, many years ago, Maude worked in a saloon I had an interest in. She was a fine lady, head and shoulders above most everybody else in the business. Glad to hear she's still around."

"Still around? You can have supper tonight with her and Doralice. She's remarried, you know. He's an attorney, a great fella named Cristian de la Torres. He's out of town on a case, but you'd like him. Here we are. Told you it wasn't far from the saloon."

As I reached for the door, Anderson took a step back and a long look at the house. "Quite a place for the middle of Little Bend."

"We've added on to it twice now. I keep buyin' land and Doralice keeps buildin' on it." As Anderson stepped through the door there was a loud squeal, and two little sets of feet came scrambling into the front room.

"Poppy! Poppy!" Maudie cried as she ran straight into my arms. I had to set Anderson's bag down to accommodate her presence. Isabelle stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the white-haired gentleman standing next to me.

"Da-da?" she questioned from about ten feet away. Before I could answer her, Doralice followed them out of their bedroom, and Belle folded herself into my wife's skirts.

"My God, boy, you married yourself a beauty!" Anderson told me before he turned to Doralice. "Mrs. Maverick, I am so pleased to meet you finally." Doralice couldn't move with our youngest daughter underfoot, and Anderson went to her. He bowed and kissed her hand, and when he straightened, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

"Doralice, please! And the feeling is more than mutual, Mr. Garrett." She quickly bent down and picked up Belle, then set about introducing the two to each other. "Isabelle, this is an old friend of daddy's, Mr. Garrett. Won't you say hello?"

Belle smiled shyly and murmured "'ello," then extended her left hand to Anderson, which he promptly kissed the back of.

"Miss Isabelle, I am so honored to meet you." That elicited a giggle and a tiny wave from our shy girl. Meanwhile, Maudie wiggled anxiously in my arms. She was so excited she forgot all about our ritual and failed to attack my tie.

"Poppy, down." I accommodated her, and she ran to Anderson like she'd known him her whole life. He picked her up, and they were eye to eye.

"And who is this?" he asked.

"Maudie." It was the first time she'd said her whole name. Most of the times before it had come out 'Mad' or 'Mod.'

"Well, Miss Maudie, I am Anderson. But you may call me anything you like."

She reached up and touched his hair, feeling it between her fingers like it was something brand new to her. "Andy? Andy!" She let go of his hair and giggled. "Andy!"

"Andy it is," Anderson laughed. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, just like she'd seen Doralice do.

"My Andy!"

"Looks like you've been claimed," I told him.

"And by such a charming lady," he replied.

Maria Elena came in the back door calling, "Lunch time!" and the girls went running.

"Our housekeeper and nanny," Doralice explained. "Maria Elena, this is Mr. Garrett. He's a friend of ours."

Anderson charmed the last lady in the house and kissed Maria Elena's hand. She blushed and curtsied in return. "Mr. Garrett. So pleased to meet you. It is time for our young Señorita's lunch, and then I shall prepare lunch for everyone else."

"You lucky dog, you're surrounded by women. And such beautiful women. No wonder you look so good!"

I was laughing as I carried Anderson's bag into the spare room down the hall from ours. He did know how to make everyone feel special.

"How about a cup of coffee while the girls eat lunch? I can't promise black carada, but Doralice has a special blend imported that's pretty good."

"I'd love some. It'll give us a chance to talk."

I knew there'd be afresh pot on the stove, and I poured us both a cup. "Blue eyes?" I asked my wife, but she shook her head 'no.' I carried mine and Garrett's to the front room, and the three of us were soon comfortably seated. "Sorry I don't keep any brandy or cognac in the house, Anderson. I'll bring some back when I come home tonight."

"You have a lovely home, and a beautiful family, Bart. I couldn't be prouder of you if you were my son. Quite a way from the young man I met all those years ago in Prescott."

That caused me quite a chuckle; I knew exactly what he meant. "Even I had to grow up sometime. Most of it's because of her," I nodded at Doralice, "and them."

"You've done well for yourself." I could hear Pauly pounding on one project or another, and I waited for Anderson's question. "More additions?"

"Yes, my idea I'm afraid. I have the feeling we're going to need more room, and I want a bigger henhouse." Doralice couldn't wait to expand the henhouse. Besides, Lucy was both kittenless and chickless at the moment, and needed something to mother.

"And she didn't tell you we're gonna have two cows instead of one."

Anderson shook his head. "I'd ask why you don't buy a different house, but I can see how close this one is to Maude's."

"And the school," Doralice added.

"Oh? Any more little Maverick's planned?"

Doralice shook her head. "Not just yet." Despite my wife's denial, I remembered her refusal of coffee just a few minutes ago, and I wondered . . . was there something she hadn't told me yet?

"As I said before, Bart, you've done well for yourself." A dark cloud seemed to pass across Anderson's face. "I wish I could say the same for my son . . . oops, soon to be ex-son-in-law."

Oh, dear. It sounded like things hadn't gone so well for Rose's husband, after all. "Things didn't work out for Rose and Riley?"

"Let's just say no for now, with more to be discussed later."

"Señora and Señors, lunch is ready," Maria called, and the three of us headed for the kitchen. As soon as lunch was over, I needed to head back to Maude's. Anderson had decided to spend the afternoon with Doralice and the girls, and I would come home later for supper. We had no sooner finished with lunch than my two angels teamed up on Anderson and wanted him to see the chickens.

"Go ahead," I told him, getting up from the table and kissing Doralice goodbye. "I have to finish checkin' in the supplies. I'll be home for supper, and then you can go back to the saloon with me."

"Bye Poppy," Maudie called as she grabbed Anderson's left hand.

I almost couldn't believe what I heard from Belle as she grabbed Anderson's right hand. "Bye-bye, Daddy."

That little dickens. She's been holdin' out on me.


	4. Life with Riley

Chapter 3 –Life with Riley

After supper I'd returned to the saloon, and Anderson came with me. I asked him to give me about an hour to finish up, and he went to play poker. Soon as I was done I went lookin' for him and found him in control at a poker table. "You don't have to quit, I can kill another hour with no trouble," I told him.

He shook his head. "No, I want to talk with you. You have to know what's happening . . . in case I can't get it worked out."

In case he couldn't get it worked out? What was Anderson involved in? And what kind of trouble might be followin' him? I had three girls to worry about and take care of, and I couldn't take no chances with their lives or their safety. We went back to my office and I closed the door. "Have a seat, Anderson."

Anderson sat down and pulled out two cigars. "I presume you'll join me."

"Yes, sir, I certainly will. Now tell me, what's this all about?"

He lit both cigars and passed one to me. "Well, remember when we played in the tournament in Sedona? And I told you about the financial trouble I was in because of some bad investments that Riley made?"

I did remember, and I'd wondered at the time if Anderson was the only one that had suffered losses. It was obviously a touchy subject, and I didn't want to ask him questions that would make him uncomfortable, so I let him tell me what he wanted to and asked nothing further. But now I had the feeling that I was about to hear the whole story – and a lot more.

"Riley Ketchum came to town several years after your visit. He was an investment banker, and seemed like a nice enough young fellow. He and Rose began seeing each other, and it wasn't too long before he asked her to be his wife. I'm sure she loved him after a fashion, and the first few years of their marriage were good. The babies came, one right after another, and she'd just found out she was expecting my third grandchild when the trouble began.

"Through no fault of his own, the investments Riley recommended started to go south. One after another they tanked, and I had mortgaged the ranch to participate. You know where I was when I played in the tournament in Sedona. What I won there was enough to save my place, but Rose and Riley lost theirs and most of Rose's inheritance from her mother. They moved in with me.

"Don't get me wrong . . . I was thrilled to have Rose and my three grandbabies there with me. And I thought that Riley was trying his best to dig them out of the hole he'd gotten them into. But things just seemed to go from bad to worse, and it didn't take me long to find out why. Riley had started gambling. And I don't mean playing poker, Bart, I mean gambling. Roulette became the weapon that slayed the beast.

"That's when it got awful. He quit his job and started staying out all night. Finally I took to haunting the saloons until I found him. He'd be drunk and entangled with one or another woman, until the night I couldn't find him. He was heavily in debt to one of the saloon owners, Frank McCook, and his men dumped Riley on the front porch the next morning, with a demand that he pay his debts. Somehow they'd found out that Rose still had a small portion of her inheritance, and they expected her just to turn it over.

"And she probably would have, but she knows what happens when a man that far gone is debt free – he just goes out and gambles away money he doesn't have all over again. Eventually Riley moved out and into town. I have no idea what he's gonna do about the money he owes; all I know is that Rose isn't gonna pay it. She filed for divorce two months ago, so I have a full house permanently."

"How old are they, Anderson?" I might not have asked him that before, but now that I had babies of my own it somehow seemed important.

My old friend smiled. I think he was amused that I asked the question. "Riley Junior is eight, Sarabeth is six, and Andy is four."

"Are you still playin' poker?"

"That I am, but I travel very little now. Most of my playing's in Carson City. I try to avoid Riley whenever I can."

"And this bunch that he owes money to, they know that?" I was beginning to understand where this was all headed.

"Evidently they do. A week ago I got a note left on the front door that Rose owed the debt. She had thirty days to make good on the repayment. That's when I packed up her and the grandbabies and sent them someplace they'd be safe, and I left town until I could figure something out. There's nobody trailing me; I made sure of that before I boarded the stage to come here. I wouldn't do anything to put your family in danger. But I have to figure a way around this, before Rose or one of the kids gets hurt."

Anderson had a dilemma on his hands, and by coming to Little Bend that dilemma had become mine, too. Garrett needed my help, to protect Rose and her children, and I needed to see if there was a way I could give it while protecting my ladies.

"Have they threatened Rose, or just told her that the debt was hers to pay?"

He shook his head while answering me. "No threats. Not even the hint of a threat. Just the note that at the end of thirty days the debt needed to be paid."

"How much do they want?"

Anderson sat very still and told me quietly, "Almost ten thousand dollars."

I whistled. "Not just a drop in the bucket. Anderson . . . I want to help; I really do. But time's short, and we need to come up with a solution pretty quick. Rose got enough to pay 'em?"

"Between what I've got in the bank and what Rose has left . . . just barely. But if we do that, it leaves me in the same position as before. Broke. Only this time it's both of us. I don't care about me, Bart, but I can't leave those babies with nothin'. And I ain't got enough time left to build a nest egg back up."

Was it just a figure of speech, or was Anderson trying to tell me something? Either way, there had to be a way out of this mess. And we better figure out what it was sooner rather than later, because it sounded like we only had about three weeks, at the most. "The sheriff's a friend of mine. Dave Parker, he's a good guy. We'll go talk to him in the mornin,' see what he might be able to tell us. Until then, don't say anything to Doralice. When we've got a solution, I'll tell her." I stopped and looked around the office. "I don't know about you, but I'm worn out. I need some sleep, and I'm headed home. You comin' or you gonna stay out for a while?"

"I'm about as tired as you are. I'll follow you home."

We walked home in silence; both of us worried about the same thing. But Anderson's situation was only the second most important thing rattling around in my brain. My number one concerns were named Doralice, Maudie and Isabelle, and how to keep the three of them safe while I tried to help my old friend and the woman I once thought I loved. And right now I wasn't sure I could do both.


	5. The Morning Line-Up

Chapter 4 – The Morning Line-Up

I didn't like keeping secrets from Doralice, and that's exactly what I was doing. And Doralice knew there was something unexplained goin' on, just by the way she acted the next morning as we lay in bed. "Bart?"

"What, darlin'?"

"Is there somethin' happening that I should know about?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"We've been laying here for twenty minutes and you haven't so much as kissed me."

Well, I couldn't deny that, and blue-eyes knew how unusual it was. "Anderson's got problems with his ex-son-in-law."

"Ex-son-in-law? When did that happen?"

"Couple months ago."

"They've got three children, don't they?"

"Yeah, two boys and a girl."

"What's Anderson gonna do? Never mind that, what's Rose gonna do?"

"I don't know. It's a bad situation."

She sighed but didn't let it go. "That's not all there is to it, is there?"

It was a definite disadvantage sometimes that my wife knew me so well. "No. Riley started gamblin', and he's got men after him for it."

"Has Anderson got the money?"

"No."

"Bart . . . you're not thinking . . . "

"No. I will not bail out a gambler. Especially that one. He had everything . . . "

"Anderson hasn't asked, has he?" There was something in her voice besides curiosity and concern – fear, maybe?

"No. It's a lotta money."

"How much?"

"Ten thousand dollars."

She let loose with a whistle. "No wonder he doesn't have it."

She snuggled up to me, and I took her into my arms and kissed her. Just about that time I heard our bedroom door open and a little blonde head appeared in our bed.

"Poppy! Mommy! Time for eggs! We're angry."

Good thing I knew that Maudie meant hungry and not angry. "Is Belle awake too?"

"Uh-huh." Maudie burrowed down into the covers between her mother and me.

"Is Lucy with you?"

"Uh-huh. Where's Andy?"

"In his bedroom, sweetie," Doralice answered her.

"Uh-uh. Door open, he gone."

Within seconds I was out of bed and grabbing for my pants. "Are you sure?" I asked Maudie as I got dressed.

"Uh-huh. Mommy, eggs?"

"I'm coming, Maude. Go back to your room and I'll be right there."

The blonde head disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "I wonder if she's right?" I was pullin' on my boots by this time.

"I don't know." Doralice was buttoning up the front of her robe. Just then I heard the front door open and close, softly. I ducked my head out of our room just in time to see Anderson sit down on the settee.

"Cigar, I'll bet," I told blue-eyes as I left our room. She was right behind me.

"I'll start the coffee."

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked our houseguest as I walked into the front room.

He looked up, startled. "Sorry if I woke you."

I shook my head. "You didn't. We were awake when Maudie wandered into our room lookin' for you and eggs."

Anderson laughed. "In that order?"

"Nope. Eggs came first, then you."

"Happy to know she's got her priorities straight."

"Up early or late?"

"Both. Worried about Rose. And Riley. He was a good man, Bart, and he just . . . well, he just fell apart."

"It happens, Anderson. Nothin' you or anybody else can do about it." Eamon Garrity flashed through my mind. Gambling killed Eamon in the end, even though it was me that shot him. The way he was goin', it might kill Riley Ketchum, too.

"No, you're right about that. It's all up to Riley."

We sat for a few minutes without talking, and Doralice appeared with two cups of coffee. "You two hungry?"

"I could eat," I told her. "But feed the girls first. Can you hang on, Anderson?"

"I'm really not that hungry, Doralice. I can wait as long as it takes."

Doralice flashed me that 'a little help, please,' look, and I headed for the girl's room. Both beds were empty, and for a moment I panicked. Then I saw a lump covered by a sheet wiggling across the floor, and I knew where they were – playing one of their favorite games . . . bug. I've no idea where that came from, but they were endlessly entertained by it. "I don't know where Belle and Maudie are, blue-eyes. There's just a couple a wiggly old bugs in their room. I ain't feedin' eggs to no bugs."

Both bugs giggled, a most peculiar reaction. Blonde heads emerged from under the sheet and in short order my two bugs were sittin' on the bed in front of me. "No bug, da-da," Isabelle told me, reverting to the shortened version of 'daddy.'

"Nope," Maudie asserted, shaking her curls for all she was worth. "Eggs."

I heard somebody walk up to the door and lean against it. Just as Isabelle crawled into my lap, Maudie jumped up and ran for the visitor, shrieking, "Andy! My Andy!" The next thing I knew Anderson was sitting on the other bed, holding my oldest. She seemed to once again be fascinated with his white hair, going so far as to try to taste a strand of it.

"Maude, stop that. Anderson's hair is not your breakfast."

She looked chagrinned and told me, "Funny color, Poppy. Had to taste."

Meanwhile, Isabelle was happily snuggled against my chest, humming something I'd never heard before. She stopped abruptly and looked at me like she had a question that had to be answered. "Taste good?"

I shook my head. "No, baby, hair doesn't taste good. Take my word for it."

Anderson was laughing so hard he could hardly ask his own question. "Now how would you know it doesn't taste good? Have you ever tasted it?"

I'd opened my mouth to answer when Doralice called from the kitchen, "Eggs, ladies. Come quick or I'll give them to Lucy." Which of course she wouldn't; Lucy had her own eggs. Nevertheless, two small blonde bombshells wiggled free of the respective laps they were in and headed for the kitchen table and momma's scrambled eggs.

Anderson was still chuckling, and it was a wonderful sound. "Nice to see you smile and hear you laugh."

He almost looked guilty. "I can't help it, they're so precious. Maudie is the ringleader, isn't she?"

"Most of the time. Belle kind of sits back and observes whatever Maudie's into this time, then decides if it's worth gettin' into or not. They'll either wear you down or wear you out. And I can't believe I lived my whole life without 'em."

There was a loud 'Me-rowr' in the kitchen and I got out there in a hurry to see what was goin' on. Lucy was on the floor finishing the rest of her breakfast, and Belle was at the table doing the same thing. Maudie was finished, or so it would seem; her plate was empty and she was staring off into space. "What was that about?" I asked as Anderson appeared behind me.

"Nothing."

I knew better than that. What I should have asked was 'what did Maude do this time?' Doralice had brought our empty cups in from the front room and set them on the table; she filled them with fresh coffee and told me what happened. "Maudie decided that Lucy got more eggs than she did, and tried to even the score. Soon as she reached for Lucy's plate, the cat was havin' none of it and let your daughter know who's boss around here."

"Now she's my daughter, huh?"

Mr. Garrett was chuckling again. "You two . . . sound just like . . . Rosalie and me when Rose was a baby. Oh, I miss those days. Enjoy them while you can."

I took two steps towards Doralice and gathered her into my arms. I kissed her and then looked down at Maude, who was waiting with wide eyes to see if she was gonna get scolded by Poppy. "Buttercup, that's Lucy's food on the floor. Yours was on the table. I don't care if Miss Lucy got more than you did, you can't take the cats breakfast. Do you understand?"

She nodded her head and got big tears in her eyes. "Sorry, Poppy," she murmured through trembling lips. It was all an act, and I'd seen it before.

"Apologize to your mother," I insisted, and she did, before scurrying off to the bedroom to probably continue the game of bug. Belle left two or three bites on her plate and hurried after her sister. "Every morning it's somethin' new."

Doralice cleared her throat. "Now, who still wants breakfast?"


	6. Meeting of the Titans

Chapter 5 – Meeting of the Titans

Anderson was quiet all the way to the sheriff's office. I don't know what he was thinkin', but I know what would be goin' through my head if I was in the same position. When we got to the jail I stopped outside for a minute, to remind both of us what we were there for. "If there's any way that Parker can help, he will."

It was a long and convoluted story that Sheriff Dave Parker heard that morning courtesy of Anderson Garrett. He sat and listened patiently as the story of Rose and Riley Ketchum, Frank McCook and his gambling empire and, ultimately, Anderson himself unwound before him. When the tale was concluded, Dave didn't appear very encouraging.

"I wish I could help, Mr. Garrett, but I just don't see what I can do. I've heard of McCook and his operations, but I got no warrant on him or any of his boys. And since you haven't been physically threatened, there's not much left for the law to accomplish. Now if they come down here lookin' for you, I'll do whatever I can. But until then, you're just outta luck."

I was afraid that's what Dave was gonna have to say, but I'd been holding out hope that there was somethin' to be done. "I don't know what to tell you," was about the only thing I could offer to Anderson, and it wasn't much comfort. "I was hoping Dave knew somethin' I didn't know. Come on back to the saloon with me and we'll see what we can come up with."

Anderson nodded and we walked back down the boardwalk. When we reached Maude's I stopped before we went inside, and asked a question that we hadn't addressed since early this morning. "Are you interested in food? I can sendWillie up to Sawyer's for lunch and we can eat in my office. Whatta you say?"

He kind of smiled when he answered me. "Sure, Bart, why not? This problem isn't gonna solve itself overnight. You decide what's worth gettin' and I'll pay for it. Deal?"

I grinned back at him. "Sounds good to me. Maybe we can think of somethin' to do. Besides watch my little ones play bug."

XXXXXXXX

An hour later we were still tossing ideas around. When we could think of any, that is. And then something occurred to me – Pappy had heard a lot about Anderson over the years, but the two of them had never met. And three heads might come up with a plan that two heads couldn't. "Grab your hat – we're goin' for a ride."

"To any place in particular?" Anderson asked.

"Yeah . . . to meet the infamous Pappy."

We went to the livery and in a few minutes we were on our way. I gave Blue to Anderson and rode Candy . . . I wasn't sure if Pappy could be of any help or not, but it was worth a try. And even if nothing came of the day, it was long past the time that the two men that had most influenced my adult years should meet.

Of course, Lily Mae was the only one rattling around the kitchen. "Mr. B, your Pa's still upstairs. Everything alright with my girls?" Then she saw Anderson behind me and gasped. "My lord! He's brought me a husband at last!"

Never one to waste an opportunity, Mr. Garrett swept in like the southern gentleman that he is and kissed the back of Lily Mae's hand. "This has to be the beautiful and charming Lily Mae Connors. I've heard so much about you over the years, dear lady, that it would be an honor to be considered as a spouse. I warn you, however, that I drink brandy, smoke cigars and play poker. If those are qualities that you find tolerable, I should be delighted to marry you forthwith!"

Lily Mae blushed and curtsied. "This could only be one man . . . and I've been listenin' to Bart tell me about him for years."

"As have I," Pappy's voice echoed through the kitchen. "Bout time I finally got to meet the man my son thinks so highly of."

As the two men reached to shake hands, I did my part. "Beauregard Maverick, this is Anderson Garrett. Anderson, at long last, meet Pappy."

They offered each other "hello's" and "how do you do's," and when they'd exchanged greetings Lily Mae offered them both coffee.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Of course, Lily Mae."

"And none for the man who never sleeps?" I asked teasingly.

"Whose fault is that?" Lily asked. "If you'da had my girls one at a time like normal folk, you'da slept a lot more. Remember that in the future, Mr. Saloon Manager."

"I shall indeed, Lily. No more twins."

Speaking of the twins, Pappy scoured the room looking for them. "Did you bring my precious girls with you?"

I shook my head and saw the look of disappointment cross his face. "No, Pappy, I didn't. Anderson's got a problem I thought you might be able to help with, and you'd never paid any attention if I brought Maudie and Belle."

"Well, then, I'll be in tomorrow for dinner so's I can see 'em. I got a new game for 'em."

I groaned. "Please tell me it's not another one like bug."

"Nope. It's called poker."

I had maintained that the girls were too young to learn poker, which wasn't true. I was afraid that, with Maudie's mind runnin' the way it did, I'd never be able to pry the cards out of her hands. And lady gamblers were not the most revered women in the western hemisphere. Belle would probably try to eat the deck.

"Don't you think they're a little young for poker?" Anderson asked.

"And how old was your Rose when she started to play?"

"Almost three," was the answer.

"See, you missed a whole year with her. I'll not be havin' my grandchildren laggin' behind like that."

"Alright, you two." This was like refereeing a kinder, gentler version of my brother and Buckley all over again. "We came out here for some help, Pappy, not aggravation."

Pappy gave me 'the glare' before settling down. "What seems to be the problem?"

So Anderson told the whole story again, leaving out just who it was got beat in Sedona allowing him to win enough to save the ranch. By the time he got to the current day, I could see that look in Pappy's eyes.

"You know, Mr. Garrett, I've played a lotta poker in my life. And I've played against a lot of men, good and bad, honest and dishonest. But I can't stand a no good cheat that expects a man's wife to pay his debt. I just bet we can think of a way out of this."

My old friend smiled. "Mr. Maverick, I believe you're right. And I'd be more than happy to help you further Maudie and Belle's education in the fine art of poker. Perhaps you and I can play a game or two while I'm here."

Pappy grinned. "I think we should let the boy sit in with us, don't you?"

"Do you think that would be fair to him?"

I sighed. I think maybe it was a mistake finally introducing them . The best thing I could do was just sit there and listen to them banter with each other, and that's exactly what I did. And kept reminding myself that I'd beaten both of them at poker.


	7. Defiance

Chapter 6 – Defiance

"Pappy's comin' for supper tomorrow night."

"Are you gonna be home?"

That was a fair question from Doralice, since I normally wasn't. "Of course. I wouldn't do that to you. Especially since it's my fault he's gonna be here."

I got a quizzical look from my wife. "Why is it your fault?" Which necessitated my explaining today's visit to her.

"So now the two of them are intent on teachin' Maudie and Belle poker, instead of workin' on Anderson's problem."

"Maybe that's the way they're gonna work on the problem."

"You mean the way I go play poker when I need to think?" Made sense to me. It's a lot easier to come up with a solution when you're not focused solely on the problem.

"Exactly. And I'd like to see Anderson and Beauregard try to get two-year-olds to play cards."

"It worked with me and Bret. We couldn't hardly wait."

Doralice shook her head slightly. "You and Bret knew how to sit still; you wanted to learn poker. Maudie and Belle would rather play bug. Or the new one."

"They've got a new game?"

"Oh, yeah. Maudie calls it 'birdie.' It's . . . interesting."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Pappy wasn't thrilled that I turned up today without them. He wants to see his girls."

"And Anderson?"

"He wants a solution to Rose's dilemma. And he's willin' to do whatever he has to to get one . . . even teach two-year-olds poker."

"Well? Rose is his daughter, his little girl all grown up. With three babies of her own. Of course Anderson's gonna do whatever he needs to. And maybe they will come up with a plan. In the meantime, I've got supper to prepare for one, two, three, four adults and two little people. Good thing Maria Elena is here tomorrow."

I gathered her into my arms and kissed her. "Sorry. I didn't intend to make work for you. I was just hopin' Pappy might have an idea about how to fix the mess Ketchum created."

She looked up at me with questions in her eyes. "Do you still care about Rose?"

"Well, sure, but not that way. She's Anderson's daughter, Doralice. I owe her. I woulda died if it wasn't for her. And she doesn't deserve what Riley's left on her doorstep. So I'd like to help if I could. That's why I thought . . . I hoped . . . that Pappy might have some ideas. And maybe he will. But in the meantime, he wants to see his granddaughters."

"So how did they get along? Beau and Anderson, I mean."

"Like they'd known each other their whole lives. They were talkin' about playin' poker after supper. That's when Pappy decided to teach the girls poker instead."

"I thought they were too young to learn poker."

"They are."

"Then say something. Tell Beauregard no."

I guess I must have looked at her like she was crazy. "Doralice, this is Beauregard Maverick."

"Bart, these are your children. Yours, not Beauregard's. If you think they're too young, tell him no."

There was a concept I hadn't considered, but Doralice was right. These two precious gifts were my daughters. The twins weren't ready to sit still and do anything, and it was their youth that prevented it. Maudie had the attention span of a gnat, and Belle would rather be held than hold something herself. They'd expressed no interest in anything that even remotely resembled a deck of cards, no matter what their last name was. Me and Bret might have been ready to learn poker at that age, but my girls weren't. And nobody, not even the great Beau Maverick, was gonna force Maude and Isabelle to learn a game as intense as poker.

"How did you get to be so smart?" I asked her. What I really wanted to know, I guess, was how did I get to be so stupid? And what kind of a fight was I gonna have on my hands when I defied Pappy?

XXXXXXXX

It took less than twenty-four hours for me to find out. Pappy arrived well before supper, and it was a mad stampede for the twins to get to him. There was no discussion of poker before we ate, and it was a real treat to see both girls so thoroughly occupied with Pappy and Anderson. I went to the kitchen to get the coffee pot, and Doralice whispered to me, "Nice to have them occupied with somebody else for a few minutes, isn't it?"

"Yes and no," I answered. "It gives me time to help you. But I keep waiting for Pappy to bring up poker, and I'd rather not have that fight before supper."

"Maybe he's forgotten about it?"

Before I could laugh, his voice boomed out from the front room, "Boy, where are you with that coffee pot?"

Actually, by the time Doralice called everyone for supper, I was beginning to think he had forgotten about it. The food was delicious and the conversation . . . fascinating. Maria Elena fed the twins and then took them to their room; it was designed to give the adults a pleasantly low-key meal. And we almost made it before the question arose.

"Well, Anderson, you ready to help give poker lessons to the girls?"

I heard a voice say, "No, Pappy. No poker lessons for the twins." It took me a full minute to realize that the voice was mine.

Pappy stared at me as if I had two heads. "It's time to teach them poker, Bartley."

"No, Pappy, it's not. They're not old enough yet."

Doralice chimed in with, "He's right, Beau. They're still babies."

Pappy paid no attention to blue-eyes and focused his attention on me. "They're the same age you were when you started learnin' the game."

"Doesn't matter. They're different people, and they're much too young."

Turning to our houseguest, Pappy pleaded, "Give me some help here, Anderson."

Garret shook his head no. "Not my place to interfere. Bart's their father."

"Bartley, it's time they started to learn the game. Hell, it's past time. What's wrong with you?"

I stood up and began to gather empty plates. "Nothin's wrong with me, Pappy. But I will not let those little girls get involved in somethin' as serious as poker. Not just yet. They need to be older. And that's final."

Pappy sat at the table and never said a word, but I could see him gettin' angrier by the minute. He hadn't raised a real fuss about somethin' in a long time, and I just knew that's what was comin.' But I didn't expect what happened next.

I heard him mutterin' somethin' under his breath until he stood up and practically roared at me, "Final? Your word's final? I'll show you final!" And with one swing he knocked everything out of my hands, plates and uneaten food flying everywhere. Every plate that hit the floor broke into dozens of pieces. Doralice jumped up, tearful and angry, and I grabbed her and stood in front of her, in case Pappy was inclined to throw anything else.

Maudie came tottering out of the girl's room, a terrified look on her face. "PawPaw! You yell at Poppy! Stop! Stop it!" and ran straight to me. I swept her off the floor and handed her to Doralice, then turned back to Pappy. I hadn't seen him like this in years, and he even had me alarmed.

"Get out, Pa. Get out and go home. You've frightened my wife and my child, and I won't stand for it. Go home until you can deal with this rationally, but keep this in mind . . . you're not welcome until you can behave like an adult." I spoke slowly and quietly; there was enough disturbance in the house, and there was no reason to add to it. Pappy looked like he had more to say, but I had no intention of listening. "Go home."

Surprisingly, he did just that, picking up his hat as he stalked to the front door and slammed it behind him. Now Maudie started to cry, and Doralice carried her back into the bedroom, while I attempted to clean up some of the mess that had been made.

Anderson started to help with clean-up, and I stopped him. "I'm sorry you had to be here for that. Pappy hasn't acted that way in a long, long time, and never in front of Maudie or Doralice. Please, go sit by the fireplace and I'll get some fresh coffee made. And I have brandy this time. I think we could all use some."

I started the coffee and then began the clean-up. By the time Doralice emerged from the twins' bedroom I was almost finished. "How's Maudie?"

"She's fine now. It took a while to calm her down, but Belle hadn't heard a thing, and that helped. They're back to playing bug. Was any of it salvageable?"

She was referring to the dishes, of course, and I shook my head. "Nope. You get to buy new plates." The coffee was ready, and I poured two cups and was about to pour the third when Doralice stopped me.

"None for me, Bart. I just don't want any tonight." That was the second time in recent memory that my wife had turned down coffee, and I was beginning to wonder if there was an ulterior motive. Could we be havin' another baby? Now, of course, wasn't the time to ask. I took the cups into the front room and handed one to Anderson.

"Brandy?"

"Yes, sir," he answered, and looked as shaken up as I felt. I poured some in both of our cups, and then set the bottle aside.

"I'm sorry you had to be here for Pappy's fit. I expected disagreement, but nothin' like that."

"There was a time when you had a temper that volatile," he reminded me. "I have an idea what caused it, if you're interested. It might explain things."

Doralice had joined us in the front room, and she was quick to weigh in. "I'd like to hear any kind of explanation for whatever that was."

I nodded, and Anderson offered his opinion. "You challenged your father's authority."

"How? Because I told him the girls were too young to learn poker?"

"That's it exactly, Bart. He's the head of the family. He's always been the head of the family. And you just told him he's not, anymore, when it comes to your children. He feels old."

"He's felt old for years. He's always complainin' about it."

"Not like this. You just defied him."

I sat and thought about what Anderson told me. Maybe he was right, and I didn't handle things the best way I could have. But Pappy didn't either. Now what was I supposed to do?

I posed that question to Anderson. "What do I do now?"

"Wait a day or two, then go out to the ranch and talk to him. You'll find your way, and he'll be more receptive. He loves you, Bart, and Doralice and the girls, and he won't want to stay mad. Gettin' old ain't easy, you know. I've had some first-hand experience with that."

"How'd you figure all this out, anyway?"

Anderson gave a little chuckle, and the mood in the house lightened. "Take a good look at me, Bart. I'm not that much younger than Beauregard. I've lived through most of it."

"Hmmm. And we still ain't solved your issues with Ketchum and McCook."

"Nope. Not yet. Give it enough time, son, we will."

I hoped he was right. About everything.


	8. Ain't Misbehavin'

Chapter 7 – Ain't Misbehavin'

The next couple of days were rough. Maudie cried more than once for her Pawpaw, and she just didn't understand why he'd yelled at Poppy. Quite frankly, Poppy wasn't sure he understood it either. But I kept repeating the things that Anderson had shared with me, and I knew he was probably right. Me and Doralice did our best to give both girls extra attention, and by the second afternoon things had almost settled down to normal.

Late on the third morning after the disastrous supper, I saddled Blue and rode out toward Ben's house. I was hoping there'd been enough time for everyone to calm down . . . actually the only one I was worried about was Pappy. Despite what he might have thought, far as I was concerned he was still the head of the Maverick clan. It's just that, well, there was another, smaller group that had to come first, and that was my own family. Which, I had just been informed, was on the verge of expanding.

The anticipated news had been delivered that very morning, when I tried for the third time to pour Doralice a cup of coffee. She wrinkled her nose and made an odd face before quickly covering, and I knew. "Somethin' you wanna tell me, darlin'?" I questioned her, before sittin' down at the table. The girls were still asleep and it was quiet in the house.

She nodded and giggled slightly. "Not as romantic as the first time, was it? I didn't mean for it to be like this, Bart."

I was smiling as big as was humanly possible; I didn't care how I'd found out. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I was just tryin' to wait a while before I told you. How do you feel about another little one?"

Was she kidding? I was absolutely thrilled . . . even with all we went through when the twins were born, I couldn't think of anything that would make me happier. "When?" I asked.

"He's gonna be our very own Christmas present."

"He?" I asked incredulously.

"Just a guess," she told me, "but this one feels different."

"You sure there's only one?"

"I think so. Looks like we're gonna use one of those spare rooms, doesn't it?"

She'd just brought the coffee pot over to the table to pour me another cup, and I gently pulled her down onto my lap. She set the pot down and put her arms around my neck, and I kissed her . . . again and again and again. "Happy?" she asked me.

"Ecstatic. How do you feel? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Do you suppose the twins will understand?"

I shook my head and chuckled. "No, but that's alright. They'll get it eventually." Something occurred to me, and I wondered if I should bring it up. "I'm goin' out to see Pappy this mornin'. Might make it easier if I can tell him there's gonna be another grandbaby. Whatta you think?"

Doralice was still on my lap, and she smiled. "I think you can do that. Let's hope it works."

That's exactly what I was thinking as I rode out to Ben's house. Anderson had returned to our place just before I left, having been playing poker all night in Claytonville. I didn't tell him why I was in a much better mood than I had been, I just let him know I was hopeful.

As always, Lily Mae was in the kitchen when I arrived. It was obvious that Pappy had told her at least part of what happened; she looked so sad. And she was surprised that I had come out to try and clear the air.

"Lily, I can't let things stand the way they are now. Maudie keeps askin' when Pawpaw's comin' back, and she won't take 'soon' as an answer much longer. And I can't stand his bein' that mad because I made a decision about my daughters. Even if he didn't agree with it."

"Shhh," she cautioned as she poured me a cup of coffee. "Somebody's comin' downstairs."

It was Pappy, and Lily cleared out as soon as she saw him. He didn't seem surprised to see me, but he didn't look happy about it. I got up to get another cup and pour him some coffee, and I set it on the table next to me. He nodded and sat down, but didn't say a word. We drank our coffee in silence, until we were both almost finished, before he said, "I acted like an ass at your house."

"Yes, you did," I answered him quietly.

"How's Maudie?"

"She wants to know when her pawpaw's comin' to see her. She doesn't seem to remember what happened."

Pappy looked relieved. "I was afraid . . . well, I was afraid she'd be scared of me."

That thought had crossed my mind, too. "She might be, when she finally sees you."

"Doralice . . . "

"You've got some apologizing to do there."

Pappy's turn to get up and refill the coffee cups. When he sat back down, I could tell there was still a lot on his mind. "What about you? Do I need to apologize to you, too?"

I shook my head. "No, not exactly. But I have to know that you understand what happened, and why, and that it won't happen again."

It took him a minute to process all that. "I ain't sure I know what happened. And I sure as hell don't know why it happened."

"Why did you get so mad? Because I told you the girls were too young to learn somethin' as complicated as poker?"

"Yeah."

"Because I told you or because they are?"

"I guess . . . I guess because you told me."

"Kinda hard to be told no, ain't it?"

"What's the point of all this, Bartley? What happened, happened. I'm sure you won't ever let me forget it. So why go through all this?"

"Because, Pappy, I don't ever want it to happen again."

"It won't," he insisted.

"And what happens the next time you insist on something to do with my children and I say no?"

Pappy swallowed and glared at me, but his voice held no anger. "I guess I have to listen to you."

"Why, Pappy? Why do you have to listen to me, even when you don't agree with me?"

"What difference does it make? I have to do it, that's all."

I shook my head. "I want you to understand why."

"Fine." He didn't say anything until he finally gave up. "Why?"

The only thing I had left was a sigh. Anderson had made this sound easy; it wasn't. Pappy had been the absolute authority on everything Maverick for a long, long time, and I was trying to make him understand why it couldn't be that way anymore. "Beauregard Maverick is still the head of the Maverick clan. But I've got a family of my own now, and they have to be my priority.

"Bret and me were your children, Pappy. The girls are mine. I'm Pappy to them, and I've got the final word. And that's the way it's got to be. Especially . . . "

"Especially what?"

"Especially because there's gonna be another one."

It took just a minute for that to sink in. "Another baby? You're havin' another baby?"

I smiled and nodded, and his entire countenance changed. "Well, why didn't ya say so sooner? Maybe it'll be a boy this time; a grandson that I can teach poker to."

"Doralice seems to think it is."

"And when's this little one gonna be born?"

Pappy's attitude had completely changed. Now he was happy, eager for the new arrival, thinking about another Maverick male. "Should be our Christmas present, if all goes well."

"Tell Doralice . . . you tell that gorgeous creature that I'll buy her a whole new set of dishes . . . and I'll never, ever act like that again. And you tell Maudie that pawpaw will be in to see her in a day or two. If that's alright with her papa."

So that's all it took to get Pappy to promise to be on his best behavior. I'd learned a valuable lesson, but one that I would still worry about for some time to come. The power of the grandchild. Is that what I have to look forward to?


	9. A Change of Scenery

Chapter 8 – A Change of Scenery

We still didn't have a solution for taking care of Rose Garrett Ketchum's problem, but things were much more peaceful the next time Pappy came to visit. If you don't count Maudie runnin' through the front room like a wild Indian, screamin' "Pawpaw! Pawpaw!" as soon as the door opened. Belle smiled and curled up in Anderson's lap, happy to be held by anybody. Supper was a much more sedate affair, and when we were finished the girls went back to their room to play their latest game, a variation on bug. The three men adjourned to the front room, and Doralice joined us as soon as the coffee was ready.

We had fresh apple pie while we tried to figure a way out of the mess that Anderson's ex-son-in-law had created. Doralice passed on the coffee, of course, but she had two or three ideas that might prove useful. When it was time for bed, Pawpaw tucked his angels in and read them their favorite bedtime story, 'The Little Red Bucket.' Anderson was amazed at how much calmer Pappy seemed to be, and Doralice let him in on the secret.

"And all it took was another Maverick son or daughter," he remarked.

"It's a boy, I'm sure of it." Blue-eyes hadn't wavered once in her conviction that it was our first boy.

"Does it make any difference?" Anderson asked.

"Not to me," I stated firmly. "Squalling and healthy. That's all I care about. Well, at least healthy." I remembered Maudie's colic and hastily backpedaled.

"It's a boy," Doralice insisted again. "And we're gonna name him Beauregard. Beauregard Julian Maverick."

"Well, I'm glad that's all decided. What if it's not a boy?"

"It is, so don't even worry about it."

"You can name her Beauregard," Anderson laughed.

"Mr. Garrett, are you makin' fun of me?"

"No, ma'am," he quickly replied. "I would never make fun of a mother-to-be. I'm certain that you're right and it's a boy."

"What would McCook do if Rose was gonna have another baby?"

Doralice had asked an excellent question. "I don't know," our houseguest answered. "Probably come after me for the money."

"Do you think so?"

"He sure wouldn't give up. But it was a good thought. McCook's men will go after anyone they can get the money out of. Man, woman, child, I don't believe it matters to them. They threatened to burn a brand-new widow right out of her home, and she owed them less than Riley owes them."

"Have you talked to the marshal in Carson City?" I asked. I was sure Anderson had, but better to ask than guess.

"Yep. He's got the same problem Parker's got. No witnesses and no warrants. Nothin' he can arrest them for."

Pappy came out of the girls' room and closed the door behind him. "Readin' to those two is like helpin' a new foal get born. Two pages forward and three pages back. How do you ever get through a whole story?"

"We don't, Beauregard. Why do you think we're still readin' 'The Little Red Bucket?'"

We all laughed while Pappy sat down and picked up his slice of pie. "Any ideas yet? On gettin' rid of McCook, I mean."

"None other than shootin' him."

"I might have one. But I hafta find out if Charlie Black is still in Carson City."

"Charlie Black?" I asked.

"I've known Charlie for forty years. That's all I'm gonna say for now."

Anderson looked grim. "Charlie's still there. At least he was six months ago."

"Good. Then he'll answer me right away. I'll let you know as soon as I hear from him."

"Beauregard . . . " Anderson began.

"Charlie isn't in that business anymore, Garrett. I'd never hire somebody killed. There's other ways of dealin' with McCook, and Charlie knows all of 'em."

"You're sure?"

"Sure enough. I'll send a telegram in the morning."

"And then what?" I asked carefully.

"Then we let Charlie do his job and take care of things for us."

"Isn't Charlie expensive?" Anderson still seemed disturbed; he had been ever since Charlie Black was mentioned.

"Probably. But Charlie owes me. He has for years. It won't cost you anything."

"What can one man do?" I asked naively.

"Plenty, especially when your name is Charlie Black. Let's give it a couple days, alright?"

XXXXXXXX

Anderson spent the next three days playin' substitute grandpa to Belle and Maude. I don't know who had the most fun, him or them. The only problem was he couldn't or wouldn't get down on the floor to play bug with them. But then neither would Pappy.

When we got up on Friday morning, the coffee was made and Anderson was already dressed. As a matter of fact, he'd fed the chickens and gathered the eggs. "Just a little bored, are we?" I asked when my brain began to function.

"I want to ride out to your father's place and see if he's heard anything from Charlie. If that's alright with you."

I nodded. "Sure. You wanna go by yourself or you want some company?"

"Company would be most welcome. I'll even buy breakfast if you can go soon."

"I don't see why not. Maria Elena will be here shortly and Doralice won't have to cook. Let me double check with her."

My wife was more than happy that she didn't have to cook for anyone, herself included. She'd not had any kind of morning sickness with the twins, but she'd felt better than she did this morning. "Do you want me to stay here?" I asked her. "Because I will."

Just then I heard the front door open. Maria Elena. Doralice heard it, too. "No, Bart, it'll do you good to go with Anderson. And Maria Elena can handle the girls. Just be careful."

I kissed her on the forehead and got dressed. Anderson was having quite a conversation with Maria in Spanish when I came back out of the bedroom. "Quite fluent in that, huh?"

"Si," he answered. "Learned it when I was little. Looks like you're goin' with me."

"Si," I replied, and we both laughed a little.

Breakfast at Sawyer's, a stop at the livery, and we were on our way. It was a pleasant enough day, not too warm and not too cold, and we found plenty to discuss while we rode. So much, as a matter of fact, that I had no idea we were being followed. My fault for not catching it; the last few days had been hectic, between the saloon and everything else in my life, and I missed the man riding discreetly in the distance. I assume Anderson missed him, too; he never said anything to indicate otherwise.

When we arrived at Ben's house, Pappy was out in the barn talking to Gracie Junior and Melody. It'd been so long since I'd seen the cat, I didn't know she was still alive. Old and gray instead of brown, as soon as she saw me I got one of her famous 'Brrrrrrruuuppps'.

"Lucy's mama?" Anderson queried.

"More likely her great-great-grandmother," I told him, and he laughed.

"So your cats multiply like the Mavericks, eh?"

"Oh, no. Much faster. Pappy, what's Junior got to say for herself?"

"She misses her mama. Gracie was a good old dog."

"Don't we all. Miss our mama's, I mean. We came out to see if you'd heard anything from Charlie."

Pappy nodded. "Just a telegram to let me know he'd look into McCook and get back to me. Nothin' since then. Everything quiet in town?"

"So far. At home, at least. Maude's has been crazy. Gonna have to hire another bartender if this keeps up. And either somebody to handle the books or somebody to take my place on the floor."

"You rather be workin' the books or walkin' the floor? I didn't think you'd be real high on sittin' in that office all day." Pappy had a point about the work. I'd rather be out on the floor than in the office, but there was a big difference – taking care of the books was a day job, Floor Manager a night job. I was missing my girls, and it seemed like a good idea to work daytimes and have evening and nights at home. Especially with another Maverick on the way.

"Ain't Maude takin' care of the boring stuff no more?"

I laughed at that one. "I'm lucky if I see Maude once a week. Between travelin' with Cristian and spendin' time with the girls, she's never at the saloon. And we already talked about it; the decision's mine to make. If I can make up my own mind first."

"I'm with your Pa. I can't see you choosin' to work on the books when you could be out on the floor."

"There's somethin' neither one of you has considered," I explained. "And that's the hours. If I take care of the books, I get to go home and see my family – eat supper and spend the whole evening with 'em. If I work the floor, I'm gone from afternoon until the next morning. And then I've got to try and sleep while everybody else is awake."

"Sounds like you already know which one you want," Pappy pronounced in that voice of his.

"Time with your wife and babies," Anderson added.

It was immediately apparent they were right . . . I was tired of comin' home at four or five o'clock in the mornin'. I wanted to go to sleep at night with my wife in my arms, and wake up lookin' at her beautiful face . . . instead of bein' in that bed all by myself while life went on around me. Besides, the bookwork wasn't all that bad; sometimes it was even interesting. It was a whole lot easier than dealin' with a drunken cowboy that had just been caught cheatin' at cards. And a lot less painful.

All I had left to do was discuss it with Doralice. I thought she'd be pleased, but I needed to be sure before I started lookin' for somebody to fill the Floor Manager job. And it wasn't gonna be easy to find the right person.

We spent about an hour at Ben's house before mounting up and heading home. I paid more attention riding back to town than I had on the way to Ben's, but if we had somebody trailin' us back into Little Bend, I never spotted him. And from the way Anderson acted, he didn't either. It was a mistake that would haunt both of us later.

I needed to get to Maude's, but I wanted to see Doralice before I left for the saloon. Fortunately she was just putting the girls down for their afternoon nap, and I took her out in the backyard with me so we'd have some privacy.

"You know how busy it's been at the saloon with your mother spendin' less and less time there."

"Yeah, I can see it in your eyes when you finally get home in the morning." We sat down on the back steps, and I took her hand in mine.

"There's a solution to the problem, but I wanna run it by you first."

"Okay."

"I can take over Maude's job full time and work days. I'd have to get up and go in every mornin', but I'd be home for supper every night, and we'd have all evening with the twins. Plus neither one of us would be sleepin' in an empty bed."

"I like that idea. A lot." She squeezed my hand and smiled wistfully. "The alternative?"

"I can keep the Floor Manager job and work nights like I am now. I'd hire somebody to handle the books."

"And you'd wanna do that, why?"

"Well, I'd have more freedom walkin' the floor. And the job would sure be more exciting."

"And more dangerous," she reminded me. "Which one do you want?"

"You sure you're ready for my answer?"

"Don't tease me like that. I know which one I'd rather you had, but the choice is yours. You have to be happy."

We sat in silence for a minute before I answered her. "I'd rather have the day job. That way I can spend more time with you and the girls. And I'd be home with you at nights."

"You're sure?"

"Bout as sure as I can be. That alright with you?" I really didn't need an answer; I could see the answer in her eyes.

"I love you, Bart Maverick."

"Ha. That's not news, Doralice Maverick." I stood up and pulled her up with me, then kissed her. "I'll start lookin' for a Floor Manager right away. Keep your fingers crossed."

"I'll keep more than that crossed. You'll find somebody."

"As long as he's as good as me. Let's not tell the girls until I've hired someone."

"They'll be so excited." She leaned over and whispered in my ear, "And so am I."


	10. Christmas in July

Chapter 9 – Christmas in July

Two days later I was in my office workin' on the books when Anderson appeared in my doorway. "Got a minute?" he asked.

"For you? Sure. Come on in."

I had ledgers spread out everywhere, but Anderson had no interest in finding a chair. He closed the office door behind him and paced around for a minute before stopping right in front of my desk. "I'm bein' followed."

I didn't even question his statement, just asked him, "How many?"

"Two. I'm pretty sure they're McCook's men."

"Where'd you see 'em?"

"Just outside of town. I rode out to the Maverick house to ask Beau . . . if he'd heard from Charlie. McCook sent men out to my place about ten days ago and when they found it relatively deserted the search began. Couldn't have been too hard to find me; I never made any attempt to hide where I was goin' or what I was doing. I spotted them on the way back here."

"Did they do anything but follow you?"

"Nope, that's all they did. Beauregard wrote out a wire for Charlie before I left and I added to it. Sent it when I got into town. Your father gave him the go-ahead to 'take care of the bastard.' He didn't specify how."

"Look, Anderson, if Pappy says Charlie doesn't do things that way anymore, then he doesn't. Pappy wouldn't lie about somethin' like that. But we gotta get you outta the house now." I'd started closing the ledgers and stacking them on the corner of my desk. Anderson was walking straight for the door, and I got up and followed him. I stopped at the bar to tell Willie I'd be back in an hour and then headed for the batwing doors. Anderson had just opened them when I heard the shot ring out and watched my old friend plummet to the ground.

I glanced quickly at Willie, who was already on his way outside. "Doctor" he called out over his shoulder, and I knew he was going to Simon Petry's office. I waited for another shot, but none came. By the time I got to Anderson, he was bleeding heavily and mumbling something that took me a minute to understand.

"Why didn't . . . you marry . . . Rose?"

It was a reasonable question, but before I could answer it, Willie had returned with Simon in tow. Simon took a quick look at the wound before turning his attention to me. "Help me get him back to my office, would you, Bart? I need to take the bullet out, and I can't do it here."

"Sure, Simon. Come on, Anderson, let's get you up," I proposed as I got on Anderson's uninjured side and helped him to his feet. He draped his good arm over my shoulders, and we began the walk to Simon's office, four doors up the street. Into the exam room, which I'd seen too many times to count, and then out to the waiting room. I sat there for more than an hour before I got any word from Simon. Eventually he walked out of the back room, wiping the blood off his hands with a towel and looking beat to hell.

"Simon?"

He nodded and dropped into the chair next to me. "Got it. Little devil didn't want to cooperate, but I got it. He'll be fine, but it's gonna be a while before he can go anywhere with that shoulder. He's awake. Do you want to see him?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice at that exact moment. I followed Simon back to the exam room; it was startling to see Anderson lying on the exam table. Normally it was a Maverick occupying the space. "How you feelin'?"

He looked up at me, his mouth set in a grim line. "Stupid. I was stupid. I was . . . " and that's all I got out of him before he either passed out or went to sleep. Anderson's coat was hung across a chair, and I went through the pockets until I found the wire. _'Take care of the bastard. Let me know when he's in jail. We're even. Beauregard.'_

That sure didn't tell me much. There was one thing for certain, though. Whichever of McCook's men had shot Anderson, he was here in Little Bend. Charlie Black wasn't gonna do anything about him – that left it up to me.

Simon came back into the exam room. He'd changed shirts and looked better than he had when I saw him before. "He didn't stay awake long, Simon."

"Nope, that laudanum gets them every time. He's got to stay here twenty-four hours before you can move him. That is what you wanted to know, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Yep. Then I have to find a place to take him that's safe."

"I thought he was staying with you and Doralice."

"He was, Simon, but he can't come back there. Maudie and Belle, remember?"

We were still standing there when Dave Parker opened the door. "Were you gonna come see me?"

"Eventually," I replied.

"You don't need me here. I've got other work to do." Simon reinforced his words by leaving the room.

Dave looked at me. "Tell me what happened." So I explained everything but the Charlie Black part of the story and when I was finished, the sheriff asked me, "Did you see anybody?"

"Nope," I answered truthfully. "But Anderson got a look at the two men that were followin' him. I suspect the shootin' was a warning, not an attempt to actually kill him."

"Sounds like it. Alright, I'll need to question him when he's awake. Come get me, would ya?"

"Sure, sheriff. Until then I'll just stand here and do nothing."

Dave didn't appreciate my humor today. "Don't give me a bad time, Bart. I can't look for somebody until I know who I'm lookin' for."

In just a minute I was standin' in the office by myself again. I went to find Simon, who was in the waiting room staring out the door. "Were they after him or you?"

"Not me this time. I have to do something. Can you stay with him until I get back?"

Simon nodded, and I took my leave. "Thanks, Simon."

I ran up the street until I reached our house, then went in and explained everything to Doralice. "Is Anderson gonna be alright?"

"Eventually, just not for a while. And he can't stay here any longer for obvious reasons – you and the girls. I gotta go talk to Pappy and see if I can take him out there until we find the shooter."

"All the way out to Beauregard's? Bring him back to the house, and I'll move the girls to Maude's. She won't be back in town for at least ten days. That's gotta be easier."

"You sure? I'm not worried about easier; you and the twins have to be safe."

"As long as we're not here, I can't see how we'd be in any danger. Then you know where Anderson is and what's going on. I'll have Maria Elena pack some clothes for the three of us, and we can leave. Will Simon let you bring Anderson back here?"

I shook my head. "Not for twenty-four hours." I wrapped her in my arms and pulled her close. "You really are somethin' special, blue-eyes. I don't know . . . " _'how I got along without you'_ is what I was gonna say, but her kiss stopped me mid-sentence. "I wish I could stay here with you . . . but I need to see Dave Parker, then go back to the saloon. And somebody is comin' in after five o'clock today to talk about the Floor Manager position."

"Who's with Anderson?"

"Simon, right now." I had to get back to Simon's office, too. I couldn't leave Anderson there by himself. And that's when Doralice made the suggestion.

"I'll have Maria Elena take the girls to Maude's, and I'll go sit with him for a while. That'll give you a break."

"Darlin', you don't know what a big help that'd be. As long as you keep the exam room door locked. Just for a couple hours, then you can join the girls at Maude's." I didn't want her to be by herself for too long; I'd worry the whole time.

"I can do that," my beautiful wife assured me. "Maria Elena," Doralice called out. "I've got a job for you." When she was ready I walked her down to Simon's office. I was probably being too protective; there was no reason for her to be at risk. But I wasn't gonna take any chances.

Just a few minutes later I was at the sheriff's. Dave had wired the marshal in Carson City and gotten two names from him – Lee Ellsworth and Sammy Travis, McCook's men that were suspiciously absent. We could put the names together with descriptions once Anderson was awake. I thanked Dave and headed back towards the saloon.

Willie had scrubbed Anderson's blood from the floor, but I could still see exactly where he fell after he was shot. Don't get me wrong . . . the stain was gone from the floorboards. But I knew where Anderson lay while he bled . . . and I couldn't help feeling guilty. If only we'd been able to think of something besides Charlie Black . . . Speaking of Willie, I heard him call me and I joined him at the bar. "You had an appointment at five o'clock, boss. He's early. Blondish fella, well-dressed, sittin' at the back table drinkin' coffee and waitin' for you. I told him you'd be along before five o'clock. Soft-spoken and polite, and he's tall. That's all I got, boss."

I made my way around the end of the bar and headed for the back of the saloon. Willie's description was accurate; my appointment was easy to spot. There was something familiar about him, but I couldn't put my finger on just what it was. "I'm Bart Maverick. I understand you're here to see me." I extended my hand and he stood and grabbed it, and before he spoke a word I made the connection and knew who he was. Billy Sunday, a one-time resident of Silver Creek, Montana. Had my long silent 'sister' unknowingly sent me an early Christmas present?


	11. Mrs Dooley

Chapter 10 – Mrs. Dooley

"You are Billy Sunday, aren't you?"

The man in front of me nodded. I hadn't seen Billy in six or seven years, maybe more, and he'd changed a lot in that time. When I left Montana last, Billy was on the verge of manhood. He'd just gone to work for Jody as a bartender and was tall and gangly, quiet and shy. This version of Billy Sunday was still tall, but just about everything else was different.

Once almost Bart Maverick skinny, he'd filled out and was closer to Brother Bret's build. And the way he was dressed – looked like he'd been playin' poker near all his life. But it was the manner that he seemed to carry himself in. Assured, confident, peaceful. And he was drinkin' coffee.

"I am, Mr. Maverick. I didn't know if you'd remember me or not. It's been a long time since we saw each other, but you look just about the same."

I chuckled, as that couldn't be said about Billy. "Why don't you come into my office, Billy, and we can talk in private."

A few minutes later Billy was explaining why he left Montana for Texas. "I couldn't take the cold no more, Mr. Maverick, and I kept hearin' from everybody how different Texas was, so I saved up until I could afford the trip. Mrs. Dooley kept putting my money aside for me, until I had enough to get here."

"Mrs. Dooley?" I almost spit it out. I hadn't heard anything from Jody in over a year; I'd sent her four or five letters in that time but got no reply.

"Yes, sir. She and the Doc got married a year ago. Didn't you know?"

I shook my head. "I haven't heard from Jody in over a year."

"That's odd," Billy quickly replied. "She had several letters from you. I know you got married and had twins, and you're running the saloon. She was supposed to write and let you know I was coming, in case you had a position of any kind for me. I thought she had."

I shook my head again. "Not a word, Billy. Not about her, or the wedding, or the Four Mavericks Saloon. Is everything alright up there?" I'd been so caught up in all the changes goin' on in my own life that I hadn't give Jody much thought. Another area to feel guilty about.

"Yes, sir, everythin's going just fine. She and Doc are real happy, just busy like always. And my leavin' didn't help matters any, but she knew I was just dyin' to go. So I finally bought a ticket and left, almost two weeks ago. And when I found out you were lookin' for a Floor Man . . . well, I just about fell over myself tryin' to get an appointment to see you. Workin' for two different Mavericks in my lifetime would be just the best thing I could think of."

I was interested in Billy's story, but his qualifications were most important to me. "Billy, you were tendin' bar when I was in Montana. What kind of experience have you had since then?"

"Well, sir, I been doin' the floor man's job for the last three years for Miss Jody. Can't rightly manipulate the cards myself the way I'd like to, but I can spot somebody else doin' it. Real fast, too. And Miss Jody herself showed me all the ins and out of the roulette wheel. I sure would like to give it a try down here. I'd be willin' to work a week for you, free-like, and you can make up your own mind about me. Could you think about doin' that?"

"Come with me for a minute, Billy," and he didn't hesitate, just followed me out into the saloon. I took him to one of the roulette wheels. "Set it up for me."

In less than five minutes Billy had the wheel set up and was ready to go. "Alright, now tell me if it's balanced properly or not." As a matter of fact, it was; I'd just finished puttin' in a new wheel and adjusting it. He took his time and checked everything I would have, before finally turning to me.

"It is, Mr. Maverick, and it was done just recently, too."

That was the third or fourth time he'd called me Mr. Maverick, and it was time I put a stop to it. "There's one thing you have to remember, Billy, if you're gonna work here."

"Yes, sir."

"My name is Bart. That's what I go by, and that's what I answer to."

"Yes, sir."

I pulled out my pocket watch and looked at the time. It was almost six; I had to get back to Simon's and send Doralice to her mother's house. And I was nowhere near finished with Billy. "I have to be somewhere, Billy. Can you come back at eight o'clock tonight? There's some other things I wanna ask you."

"Yes, sir, Mr. . . . Bart. I can be here at eight o'clock."

"I'll leave word with Willie to let you into my office if I get delayed. I've got just one more question for you, for right now. If I hired you, when could you start work?"

XXXXXXXX

Simon was in his office; Doralice was in the exam room with Anderson when I got back. "Has he been awake?" I asked.

"A couple of times," she replied. "He asked me if you were alright once. When I told him yes, he went right back to sleep."

"Let's get you out of here and over to Maude's. Then I'll go back to the saloon for a while before comin' over here to spend the night." I started to help her up from the chair when I remembered Billy Sunday and the mysterious Jody Maverick Dooley. "Have there been any letters from Jody that I missed?"

Doralice looked at me with a terribly confused expression. "Nooooo, none that I've seen. What brought that up?"

"One of the young men that worked for her in Montana moved down here to Texas, and she sent him to me for a job. Thing is, if he's any good with the cards I'll probably hire him, but he says she and Beck are married. That they married a year ago. And it's probably been that long since I heard from her."

"Sorry, lover, but I haven't gotten anything from her, either." Doralice had started corresponding with Jody right after we were married.

I sighed. One more thing to worry about. I checked on Anderson to make sure he was still sleeping, then gathered my wife and her belongings and took her past Simon's office. "Simon, come lock the door behind me. I'll be back shortly."

"You got it, Bart," and I heard Simon get up and head for the door. I walked Doralice over to her mother's house and took her inside, where I was promptly attacked by one small person.

"Poppy, poppy, you home. You bring my Andy with you?" By this time she was in my arms, and we were looking eye to eye.

"No, buttercup, Anderson's busy doin' something. Where's your sister?"

"She's playin' a game with Maria Elena."

"Didn't you want to play?"

"I did. I lost." That statement was accompanied by the most perfect pout that I had ever seen. Maudie did not like losing.

"I can't stay, sweetie. Poppy's gotta go back to the saloon. I just came to bring Mommy over here and to kiss the two of you goodnight. Go get your sister and tell her to come see me." I gave her a big, slobbery kiss before I put her down and she ran back into Maude's spare room.

"Don't you dare give me one of those," Doralice told me with a gleam in her eye.

"Don't worry," and I pulled her into my arms for a much more appropriate kiss. By the time that was finished, Belle was standin' next to me, clinging to my pant leg. I reached down to get her and she squealed. "Did you beat your sister?" She nodded her head and got a kiss from me. "Daddy has to go back to the saloon. I won't be here to tuck you in." I kissed her again. "I love you, sweet girl."

I handed Belle to her mother. "I love you, blue-eyes." I kissed my wife again and walked back to Simon's office. I might have been followed; I wasn't sure. Once I was inside, Simon locked the door and pulled the curtains closed. "Has he been awake?"

"Sort of," Simon answered. "But not for very long."

Anderson's eyes were open when I got into the room. "Hey, buddy, how you doin'?"

"Been better. You alright?"

"Hell, yes. Wasn't me they were shootin' at. Can you describe 'em? Their names are Ellsworth and Travis. Do you know either one of them?"

"Ellsworth. He'd be . . . the shooter. Smallish, stocky, brown hair, southpaw. Ridin' a sorrel mare. Don't know . . . Travis. On a bay gelding." He paused to catch his breath, then gasped out, "Does that help?"

"You bet it does. I have to go tell Parker; I'll be back." I rechecked my watch; I didn't have time to tell Parker. I was dying to get back to Maude's. I had a Floor Man to hire, I hoped.


	12. One Rabbit Down

Chapter 11 – One Rabbit Down

Billy was in my office waiting, and I took him on a 'walking tour' of the saloon. I pointed out the cowboys to watch, and Billy found one I hadn't seen. Then we sat down with one of the dealers and I pulled every trick in the book to see how accurate he was. He caught all but one of my maneuvers, and I was satisfied.

"Come on back to my office." When we got there I closed the door. "Have a seat."

"Well, boss? Or am I jumping the gun?"

"No, Billy, I don't think so. I don't need a week to see if you can do the job. You never did answer me, but I'm askin' for real now. How soon can you start?"

"All I have to do is move out of the hotel and into a boarding house. If I can do that tomorrow, I could start tomorrow night. What time do you figure?"

"Let's say seven o'clock. If you're not gonna make it tomorrow, just come by and let me know. We're open until four in the mornin' unless the place is dead. After you've been here a while you'll make the decision about early closin.' For now, Willie's in charge. I'll stay with you the first couple nights, so if you run into anything, I'll be around. We can talk salary and percentages tomorrow, but for now I have to be someplace. Come on out with me, and we'll tell Willie." I extended my hand to shake on the deal. "Welcome to Maude's."

XXXXXXXX

Anderson's night was quiet and full of sleep for him. Simon went home to bed, and I kept watch. Actually I slept most of the night, too; Simon had a settee in his office that I made good use of. As soon as he got there the next morning and checked Anderson over, I confirmed that I'd be able to get Garrett moved out of Simon's clinic later today. Then I headed for Dave Parker's office. "Uh-oh. You look like a man that hasn't slept."

"I slept . . . some. I've got some information for you that I wanted to get here last night . . . but I just couldn't make it over."

"Sit down. I assume you'll take a cup of coffee?"

"You bet I will," I told him. "Anderson gave me a description of Ellsworth. Said he was the shooter. Small and stocky, with brown hair. And he's left-handed. He's ridin' a sorrel mare; the other ones on a bay gelding. Couldn't describe Travis, said he didn't know the man."

"How's he doin' this morning?"

I nodded as Parker handed me the coffee. "Good enough that Doc will let me take him home today."

"Home? What about the twins? And Doralice?"

"They're stayin' over at Maude's until Ellsworth and Travis are caught. I ain't takin' no chances with them, Sheriff."

"And where will you be? Right in the thick of things, I assume."

"I'll be takin' care of Anderson at the house. Where else would I be?"

Parker sat down at his desk. "What are you doin' about the saloon?"

I'd almost forgotten about Billy. Already. "Hired a new man to work as Floor Manager. Name's Billy Sunday. He worked for Jody up in Montana."

"You're not quittin' the saloon, are you?"

"You're jokin', right?" The expression on Dave's face made me wonder. "No, I'm takin' over Maude's job and workin' days. I might actually get to see my wife and children once in a while that way."

Parker shook his head. "Damn, now I gotta break a whole new man in."

"Don't worry, Dave, I'll lie and tell him you're honest." I finished my coffee and got ready to leave. "You see or hear anything about these two McCook men, you let me know. They're not here to make friends with Anderson, and I'm gonna be standin' awful close to him. I'd rather not be dodgin' bullets.'

"I'll see what I can do about findin' 'em. I got charges that'll stick now, at least to the two of them. That'd be a start."

"See you later." I tipped my hat to Dave and walked over to Maude's house. It seemed odd to knock on the door, and stranger still to wait for my wife to answer. And when she did one of us lit up like a Christmas tree. "You alright?"

She held the door open and smiled at me. "Yes, now that you're here. Come in before somebody takes a pot shot at you."

I hurried inside the door and then pulled her to me carefully and kissed her. "I sure hope this doesn't take long."

"What doesn't take long?"

"For Dave to catch Ellsworth and Travis. So that we're all back at home together."

"How's Anderson this morning?"

"Holdin' his own. Simon's gonna let him come home this afternoon. I can stay with him a while, but I've got a new man to break in."

"Billy Whatever-his-name-is?"

"Billy Sunday. You'll like him, he's a good kid. Real happy to get outta the cold. You know what that means, don't you?"

"What?" I still hadn't turned loose of her, and she was leaning back in my arms to look up at me.

"It means I'll be home at night."

Before we could carry this conversation any further, there was a loud wail from the spare room. "Maudie," we both said at the same time.

"I have to go, anyway. I'll see you later," I told her as I kissed the tip of her nose.

"Be careful," was the last thing she said to me. Hurrying out the door and down the street, I had just gotten back to the boardwalk when I spotted a bay gelding tied up outside of Simon's office. I looked around for the sorrel mare, but she was nowhere in sight. I eased my colt out of its holster and slowly opened the door; there were voices coming from the exam room, and I tried my best to slip inside unnoticed. I was all the way across the waiting room before I could identify two of the three voices. They were Simon and Anderson. I didn't know the third one and assumed it to be Travis.

"McCook was worried. Ketchum's Misses disappeared, and then you did too. Looks like you're tryin' to skip out on a debt."

"Not our debt," came from Anderson.

"Well, now, Mr. McCook doesn't see it that way. Ketchum can't pay, and Misses Ketchum won't pay, and that leaves you. So if you won't pay, we'll just have to get the bosses money some other way. We could just burn down the whole ranch. Or we could put a bullet in one of them grandkids. Or I could let Ellsworth try again. He might have better aim the next time."

"You won't kill me. There's no money in it."

"No, that's true. We'll just have to put a bullet in somebody that you love. How good a friend is the Doc, here?"

I don't know what was happening in the exam room, but Simon's voice was fairly steady when he spoke. "I just met Mr. Garrett yesterday."

"Well, that won't do. How about that pretty boy you been hangin' around town with? What's his name? Maverick?"

I was able to open the door just a crack, and what I saw didn't make me at all happy. Anderson was sitting on the exam table with his back to me, a blanket covering his shoulders. Simon was in the chair that both Doralice and me had occupied at some time yesterday. And Sammy Travis was standin' on the far side of the room, his gun covering Anderson. I didn't see any way to get Travis as long as Anderson remained in the same position.

"Leave Bart out of this."

"Bart, huh? He must be a pretty good friend. It'd be a real shame if he got, ahem, hurt somehow in all this."

I heard the front door open behind me; it was Mrs. Feeney. She worked part-time for Simon. Her entrance was loud enough to cause Travis concern, and he moved towards the door. Anderson was out of the line of fire. I pushed the door open and aimed the Colt at the intruder. Before I could say anything he saw me and took a shot . . . and missed. I didn't; I caught him in the wrist and he dropped the gun. "Stand still, Travis. It'd be a real shame if you got hurt somehow in all this. Simon, get the gun."

The good doctor did as instructed, and it was only a minute or two before Sheriff Parker turned up, gun drawn. That wasn't hard to understand; Simon's office was almost across the street, and the gunshot had been out of place in the still of the early morning. "I assume this is Mr. Travis?"

"We weren't formally introduced, Dave, but I'd say that was a good guess."

"Where's your partner, Mr. Travis?"

"I got nothin' to say to you, law dog."

"Good, then I'll have some peace and quiet this mornin'. Bart, you catch this joker here?"

"Yep," I told Dave. "I heard all the threats he made to Anderson, too."

"Doc, take a look at that wrist before I haul him off to a cell, would you? Mr. Garrett, you alright?"

Anderson nodded but didn't say anything. Quite unlike him, I must say. In just a few minutes Simon had treated Travis' wrist, and Dave marched him over to the jail. I was left alone with Anderson, who was still awfully quiet.

"I can't stay in Little Bend, Bart. You and your family aren't safe. And I won't be responsible for something happening to you."

"You're not fit to travel, Anderson. Doralice and the girls are stayin' at Maude's house; come on home with me until your shoulder's healed. Or we catch Ellsworth. Besides, Charlie's workin' on McCook. This whole thing might be over tomorrow."

Anderson sighed, and I could tell he was conflicted. "Alright, but just until I can travel."

"Good. Let's get out of here, just in case Ellsworth's around."

Simon took a few minutes to come with us and help get Anderson settled in bed in our spare room. "He's doing well, given his age and the nature of the wound. Just keep him from doing anything strenuous. I'll come by later today and check on him."

"I still don't like this, Bart," Anderson protested again once Simon was gone. "You're takin' too much of a chance."

"That's my problem, ain't it?" I asked, knowing what kind of an answer I'd get. "I'm makin' coffee, you want some?"

"Sure. But . . . "

"No buts. I gotta get somethin' to keep me awake." I hurried into the kitchen, where I couldn't hear any more protestations. Once I got the coffee on, I turned my mind to all the questions that kept assailing me. Where was Lee Ellsworth? Why hadn't he been with Sammy Travis? What were Charlie Black's plans for Frank McCook? What was going on with Jody and Beck up in Montana? Was I gonna be able to hold this all together until my questions were answered? And where in the world was my brother?


	13. In the Still of the Night

Chapter 12 – In the Still of the Night

The day was unexpectedly peaceful. No holdups, no shootings, no appearances by Lee Ellsworth or anyone else dispatched by Frank McCook. I spent most of the day at the saloon, with a trip every couple hours to make sure Anderson was holding his own. Simon stopped by in the late afternoon and was pleased with the progress the wounded man had made. I'd personally convinced one of the part-time bartenders he could make some extra money by working a couple nights for me as a 'caregiver' for Anderson. Just until I got Billy Sunday trained.

The night passed the same way, more or less. The only difference was instead of looking after Anderson, I was looking after Billy. For someone that had purportedly done the job of Floor Manager before, he had a lot of questions. Right before the telegraph office closed, I realized I should have sent a wire to Jody to inquire about Billy, and I hurried down the street to do so. The telegram took care of another problem for now, and that was Jody. At least I'd know she was alive when she answered me.

There was no one in the saloon at three in the morning except Maude's personnel, and I sent everybody home. In spite of all the questions, Billy had done well for his first night, and I was pleased that I'd hired him. When I got home Anderson was asleep, and it wasn't long after getting undressed that I was, too.

I was startled awake the next morning by sounds emanating from the kitchen. I reached for my Colt just in case it wasn't Anderson and pulled myself out of bed. By the time I reached the bedroom door the noise had gotten louder and I fully expected to find an intruder in the house. Instead I found Lucy, who'd been forgotten in all the turmoil. I padded into the kitchen and lay the pistol down on the table, then proceeded to see what I could find for the cat. By the time she was chewing on what was left from the night before, I was making coffee.

A few minutes later Anderson made his way into the kitchen. He certainly looked better than I did, but only because he'd gotten enough sleep. He was moving stiffly because of the shoulder, but he was moving. "You always get up this early?" he asked me.

"Not usually. Lucy woke me and I figured since I was awake . . . " Just about that time somebody rattled the front door, and I grabbed for the gun I'd left on the table. For the second time that morning it wasn't what I expected; when the door swung open, Doralice stepped inside.

"That's a heckuva way to say hello," she told me as she came through the doorway. "A little jumpy are we?"

"Come on in and I'll tell you why. And what are you doin' here, anyway? It's not safe."

"I had to pick up some things for the girls. And why are you jumpy?" I filled her in on the events of yesterday after I left Maude's house. She listened without interrupting and then nodded. "Now I understand the jumpy. No sign of Ellsworth?"

That elicited a head shake from me. "None so far."

"He'll turn up," Anderson assured us. "He's probably got orders from McCook not to come back without the money. With any luck I can take the stage out of here before Mr. Ellsworth surfaces."

Just as I was about to say something Lucy let loose with a bloodcurdling "Meowr!" at the back door. By the time I got the gun and arrived at the door it was obvious someone had been back there; but who or what was impossible to determine. "Doralice, get what you need for the twins and go back to Maude's. It ain't safe here." I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed for our bedroom.

"Where are you going?" she called after me.

"To get dressed," I answered.

By the time I was shaved and dressed, my lovely wife had retrieved whatever she was after and left again. I was sorry I hadn't gotten to kiss her goodbye but just as glad that she was gone. I'd told her the truth; it wasn't safe here. "Anderson, are you alright on your own for a while? I need to check in with the saloon."

He chuckled just a little; it was a welcome sound. "Now you look like the Bart Maverick I've always known. Sure, I'll be fine. How long do you think you'll be?"

"Couple hours. When I come back I'll bring lunch. That alright?"

A nod accompanied his smile. "Sounds good. I'll see you later."

I left a few minutes after that and went straight to the telegraph office, hoping there was an answer from Jody. There was, but it sounded nothing like her. _'Bart – Billy was an excellent employee. You're lucky to get him. Jody.'_ Now I was sure there was something dreadfully wrong, and I would find out just what it was as soon as the current problem was solved.

Everything was still peaceful at the saloon, but it felt like I was bein' followed the entire way back. I stopped at the bar for a few minutes and talked to Willie about last night; he agreed that Billy had done an excellent job on his first night. When I got to my office I discovered the door unlocked and the place trashed. Everything was ripped apart or turned upside down; the only thing that wasn't harmed was the portrait of Doralice that hung over my desk. I closed the door and went back to the bar. "Willie, did you see anybody head back towards my office?"

"No, boss, not since I opened today. Somethin' wrong?"

"Yeah, somebody broke in and destroyed the room. I'm gonna work in Maude's office for now."

Me and Maude had discussed my taking over her office and turning mine back into a storage room; now I was determined to do just that. Another thing to add to the list of tasks that would be completed after Anderson was once again safe. And then it hit me – the culprit was probably the man we were looking for – Lee Ellsworth. If he couldn't get to Anderson, he'd take it out on me. That meant he'd been inside Maude's at some point since I left at 3 o'clock this morning.

I spent about two hours balancing the books and finishing the bank deposit, then left for the bank, the sheriff's office, Sawyer's Café, and home. I told Dave about the break-in and the trashing of my office, and he headed to the saloon to take a look at it. I stopped at Sawyer's and picked up lunch for Anderson and me, then went straight home. Things were awfully quiet in the house; I assumed Anderson was napping. I got everything set out for us to eat and went to the spare room to wake him . . . and found the room empty.

Where in the world was Anderson Garrett?


	14. Little Girls

Chapter 13 – Little Girls

I was close to frantic for a minute or so and then I noticed that Lucy was missing, too. Instinctively I opened the back door and found both of them outside, Lucy in the sunny corner with two or three baby chicks, the missing man leaning against the fence with his good arm. "You tryin' to make me feel older than I already am?"

Anderson looked confused for a moment, then he realized what I meant. "Oh, sorry, I needed some fresh air and I figured back here was safer than out front."

"Lunch is here, come on in and eat." Once we got inside I told him how I'd found my office at Maude's and it seemed like Ellsworth was stalking a new person. "He must have had the same idea as Travis . . . if they can't scare you, maybe they can scare somebody else."

"I have to get out of here, Bart, before this goes any further. I can't have something happening to you."

"You can't leave now, Anderson. Not until we hear something from Charlie Black. You'd just be walkin' into more of the same back in Carson City. Just give it a few more days."

"Bart . . . "

"Look, Anderson, you literally saved my life twice. Can't you let me do this for you?"

There was that reluctance to keep me involved, but I think I finally guilted him into a few more days. "Alright, but only until Friday. Then I'm goin' home, Lee Ellsworth or no Lee Ellsworth. Understood?"

"Understood." I let my answer sink in before I told him what I wanted him to do. "Come back to the saloon with me tonight. I'm usin' Maude's office and there's a settee in there – we can send out for supper, and I could keep an eye on you. I'd feel better if you would."

"You're serious?"

"I am. Better that than you stayin' here by yourself."

"But won't it . . . "

"Won't it what? Bother me, stop me from workin', anything else you can think of? Less than if I was worried about you bein' here alone. Manny can't stay tonight like he did last night, and that would leave you completely by yourself. Nope, I'd feel much better if I could glance to my right and see you peacefully sleepin'. Will you humor me?"

I could see his resistance crumbling. Finally he gave in, as he told me, "Alright. I'll go with you. But just for tonight."

I was relieved. One less thing to worry about tonight. Besides, Anderson could identify Lee Ellsworth without any guesswork involved. That meant if Ellsworth showed up at the saloon, I'd have a better chance of trapping him.

"Are you finished eating? Then let's get you dressed, shall we?"

It took us a while, but between the two of us, we got Anderson presentable. I fixed a plate of leftovers for Lucy and brought her inside, and we were soon headed for Maude's. "Mr. Garrett, how you doing? You sure look better than the last time we saw you," Willie greeted him.

"I'm coming along, Willie. Thanks for going to get Dr. Petry."

"Anderson's gonna be back in Maude's office with me, Willie, but if anyone asks for him, he's not here."

My head bartender nodded. "Got it, boss. Let me know if either one of you needs anything."

It only took a few minutes to get Anderson settled, and me back at work on the latest inventory figures. The next time I glanced over to the settee, my friend was asleep. I sighed, feeling much better that I could keep an eye on him. When Billy got there later on I let him know that Anderson's presence was to be kept quiet – no one needed to know he was here.

There were a lot fewer questions than last night. As a matter of fact, I didn't even see Billy again until well after midnight. Me and Anderson were discussing his ranch when there was a knock on the door. "Bart, its Billy."

"Come on in, Billy," I answered him. "You got a question?" I asked when he got inside.

"No, sir, there was a man out here askin' for you, then Mr. Garrett. I thought I better let you know."

"What did he look like?" Anderson queried.

"Kinda small man, built stocky, wearin' a left-handed gun."

"Ellsworth," Anderson murmured.

"Is he still out there?" I was quick to ask.

"I don't know. I'll look." And Billy disappeared before I could say anything else. I did get up right away, though, and strap on my Colt. Just in case.

It was almost twenty minutes of sheer agony before Billy returned. "Looks like he's gone. I'll keep an eye out and see if he comes back."

"He asked for me first," I stated to no one in particular.

"I gotta leave Little Bend, Bart. I can't wait until Friday."

"Oh, yes you can. If you leave we'll never have a chance to catch this guy, and I want him caught. I'll be damned if I wanna be lookin' over my shoulder, waitin' to see if he comes back." I didn't know what else I could tell Anderson to convince him how important it was to get Ellsworth out of our hair for good. "Look, Anderson, I'm goin' to get some coffee. Do you want a cup?"

He nodded resignedly. "Sure, Bart. Do you want some help?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I'd rather you stay in here. I'll be right back."

He nodded again, and I left Maude's office for the bar. Willie was nowhere in sight and I pulled out two cups and poured the coffee, but before I could pick it up and head back to the office I heard a voice ask, "Mr. Maverick?"

I froze for a second, then forced myself to answer. "Yes?" I looked into his eyes, and I knew. It was Lee Ellsworth.

"Let's go back to your office. Quietly, please." It looked like a gun pointed at me under his coat, and I wasn't gonna take any chances. Especially in the middle of the saloon. I walked carefully back to Maude's office, my hands full of coffee and my back full of gun. Anderson started to get up; then he saw what was following me and stayed where he was, on the settee. Ellsworth closed the door behind him.

"Gentlemen. By all means, drink your coffee. I'm not here to cause any disruption."

"Like you didn't disrupt my office," I remarked, and Anderson's eyebrows shot up.

"That was merely to gain your attention, Mr. Maverick. Obviously it was successful."

"Now that you have it, what are you gonna do with it?"

"Quick with your tongue, aren't you? Then let's see how quick you are with this. Riley Ketchum owes Frank McCook ten thousand dollars. Ketchum's disappeared; his wife refuses to pay the debt. Rose Ketchum is Anderson Garrett's daughter. Mr. Garrett has so far refused to pay the debt. Instead he's taken refuge with you, Mr. Maverick, who appears to be a long-standing friend – and a man of considerable means. You have a wife and two daughters to protect. Someone needs to pay Mr. McCook. He doesn't care who does that, just as long as it's done. In three days' time, if the ten thousand dollars hasn't been paid, people will begin disappearing. Beginning with whoever I can get my hands on first. Once they've disappeared, they will not reappear. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Maverick? Little girls don't run very fast, do they?"

Ellsworth reached behind him and opened the office door. In mere moments he was gone, vanished into the group of cowboys crowding around the roulette wheel. I stumbled backwards and nearly dropped my coffee cup; my daughters' lives had just been threatened. And I had three days to catch the man that had disappeared out of my office.


	15. If I Have To

Chapter 14 – If I Have To

"Little girls don't run very fast, do they?"

No matter what I did, I couldn't forget that remark. They were the most chilling words I'd ever heard in my whole life, and even as I hurried to Dave Parker's office they still rang in my ears.

Dave's head was propped up on his arms, lying on his desk, sound asleep as far as I could tell. Now was no time to be that way; my children's lives had been threatened. I slammed the front door and Dave jumped. "Oh, it's you," he mumbled, and laid his head back down again.

"Get up, sheriff," I demanded, and my voice held something I'd never heard before. A mixture of fear and hatred, Dave must have heard it, too. In a matter of seconds his head was upright and he was rubbing his eyes.

"What is it, Bart? What are you doin' here at this time of the mornin'?"

"I got no time to waste, Dave. Lee Ellsworth was in my office just a while ago, and he gave me three days. Three days to come up with ten thousand dollars, or he's gonna kill my girls."

"What? What kind of nonsense is that? "

"It wasn't nonsense, Parker. The man was serious. Riley can't pay the debt and Rose won't, and because Anderson's here in Little Bend with me and it looks like I have money, Maude and Isabelle have become the targets." I was shaking so bad I had to sit down, to keep from falling down. I've never been so terrified in my entire life; not even when I walked up the stairs to the gallows in Montana. At that exact moment I would have said or done anything, ANYTHING, to make sure that Maudie and Belle were safe.

Parker could see how distraught I was. "Tell me what happened, Bart. The whole story, and don't leave anything out." Dave got up to make a pot of coffee, and I began with our arrival at Maude's earlier in the day. By the time I got to Ellsworth's actual threat, I had a steaming hot cup in front of me. "Where's Anderson? Is he staying in Little Bend?"

"At my house. I was workin' in Maude's office when all this l happened. I think he's finally figured out that there ain't no sense in runnin' and nowhere to run to." I tried to pick up the coffee, but the best I could do was wrap my hands around the cup. "I'm gonna take Doralice and the girls . . . out to Uncle Ben's. I'm hopin' they'll be safer out there."

"And what about you? Where are you gonna be?"

"At the house, and at Maude's. When I'm not lookin' for Ellsworth." Dave watched as I finally managed to raise the coffee cup to my lips and take a swallow without spilling it all over me.

"And what do you intend to do when you find him?"

"What else? Kill him."

"Use your head, Bart. You ain't no gun hand. And it won't do your wife or kids any good if you're dead."

"Ain't doin' 'em no good this way, either."

"Have you talked to Doralice yet?"

I didn't see what difference that made. "No, I came here first." Pause. "I don't suppose there's anything you can do to help?"

"If we can find him, I can arrest him."

I snorted. "Fat lot of good that'll do. What are you gonna charge him with? Scaring the saloon manager to death?"

"Attempted murder of Anderson Garrett."

"He'll be in jail about as long as Travis was."

"Travis is on his way to Dallas. He was wanted for murder. We won't see him again."

"I thought there were no outstandin' warrants for him."

Dave looked kind of embarrassed. "I didn't have any . . . but I got a wire from the marshal in Dallas, and he sent a deputy down here to get Travis. That was a happy surprise."

I was done with my coffee and didn't want another cup. "Alright, I'm goin' to see Doralice and my babies. I'm gonna get 'em out to Ben's as soon as I can. I'll let you know when I'm back. And keep an eye out for Anderson, would you please?"

Dave walked me to the door. "I will, my friend. Stay safe, alright? And don't shoot Ellsworth, huh?"

"I'll do my best, Dave."

XXXXXXXX

By the time I got to Maude's house it was almost daylight. I wish I could say I was feeling better about things, but I really wasn't. There had to be a way to get rid of Ellsworth without killing him, but I was hard-pressed to think of one. Right now my biggest concern was getting my girls out of town.

It took Doralice a long time to open the door. I don't know whether she was being cautious or was still asleep, and I didn't care. I wrapped her in my arms as soon as I could squeeze in the door and held her as close to me as I could get her. When I finally loosened my grip, I told her, "Pack up your things. You and the girls are going to Ben's house. Now."

"Why? What happened?"

"Ellsworth turned up at the saloon last night. Gave me three days to pay him ten thousand dollars or he'd go after the girls."

"Our girls? Why?"

"Because Ellsworth wants money, and he doesn't care where it comes from. He's serious, Doralice. He told me in three days he'd go after whoever he could catch first. And that little girls didn't run very fast."

"He . . . said that?"

She'd turned white as a sheet. "He said that."

"You . . . should have sent Anderson home."

"It's too late now. We need his help to catch Ellsworth."

She'd pulled out of my arms and backed away from me. "You should have sent him home before now."

"Probably. But I didn't. And now . . . "

"Now our children are in danger because you're stubborn." She was angry, I could hear it in her voice. The only question left to answer was a simple yet complex one – was she angry at me, or Anderson, or both of us?

"Doralice . . . "

"No, Bart. Stay away from me right now. Go get the buggy, and I'll get the girls up and packed. We can discuss this when we're out at the mansion." And she turned away from me and headed for the bedroom.

I didn't blame her for the anger. I was mad at me, too. Had I known this would be the end result, I would have put everything else aside and made getting rid of Frank McCook and his henchmen my number one priority. Now I had to deal with the results of my ineptitude, a wife that was beyond angry with me, and the safety of my precious angels. Berating myself the whole way, I set off down the street to the livery to retrieve Nevin and the buggy. By the time I got back, Doralice had the girls ready to go and between us we got them and their belongings loaded. My wife wasn't speaking to me, but the twins were their normal selves. I'm sure they thought it was a big adventure.

Both of them had fallen asleep long before we got to Ben's house, and the rest of the trip was made in absolute silence. I couldn't think of anything to say that would possibly make Doralice any less hostile towards me, so I kept my mouth shut. It was probably the best thing I could have done. When we pulled up in front of Ben's house, Doralice picked up Isabelle and I carried Maude inside and straight upstairs to 'their' bedroom. Within just a few minutes we had them settled and sleeping soundly, and the two of us made our way back downstairs, where we were greeted by Lily Mae and Pappy. Both of them looked bleary-eyed and half asleep.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Pappy blurted out, and I waited for Doralice to explain to her father-in-law just what an idiot his youngest son was. She never said a word; just sat down at the kitchen table and allowed me the opportunity to explain myself. Which I did, or rather, attempted to do. It didn't take long, since Pappy knew most of the story, including the parts regarding Charlie Black and Frank McCook that Doralice didn't know.

"What are you gonna do now?" Pappy asked in a rather subdued tone of voice.

"I don't know, Pappy. I want Doralice and the girls to stay out here with you and Ben while we try to come up with a solution."

"Who's involved in the 'we' besides you and Anderson?"

"Sheriff Parker." Pappy made a face for a few seconds; it was his dislike of lawmen and not Dave that caused the reaction.

"Is that alright with you, daughter?" Pappy asked. Doralice nodded but said nothing. Pappy sensed there was something wrong and pushed forward. "You're angry about the whole situation, are ya?"

My wife blew out a breath before answering. "I was. At both of them."

"And now?"

"Not . . . so . . . much, anymore. Just unhappy that it's come to this."

"He was tryin' to help a real good friend, Doralice."

"I know that, Beauregard."

"A man that saved his life."

"I know that, too. Still, this involves our daughters. OUR daughters."

"It wasn't intentional." That was the first thing I'd said in a while.

Doralice looked at me, finally. "I know that," she said softly. "Given a choice, you never would have involved them."

I shook my head. I didn't know if Doralice understood what I was feeling. "I'd give my life to protect them." And I thought to myself _, 'and I will if I have to.'_


	16. The Beginning of the End

Chapter 15 – The Beginning of the End

Two days passed, with no sight or sound of Lee Ellsworth. Almost as bad as that was the lack of information from Charlie Black; to be honest, there'd been no word from Charlie in more than a week. I spent every waking minute in the hunt for Frank McCook's henchman, but my search bore no more fruit than Charlie's. Anderson's participation was limited due to his injured shoulder, and he spent most of his time at Ben's house watching over my family.

Dave Parker was the sheriff and had other issues to tend to, but Dave spent almost as much time as me out looking for Ellsworth. On the morning of the third day he accompanied me to Maude's and helped check out the entire saloon. It seemed logical to assume Ellsworth would come looking for me there . . . in case I intended to give him the ten thousand dollars he was after. A longshot, at best, but as good a guess as any. When noon came and went I laid the trap we'd discussed; I headed for the bank with the previous night's receipts, hoping Ellsworth would assume I was retrieving his funds. Dave stationed himself in my office, and had one of his deputies behind the bar working as a bartender.

I saw no one on the way back from the bank and headed straight for Maude's office. Once I got inside, I closed the door and checked to make sure the derringer I'd slipped into her desk drawer was still there. An hour passed, then two, and it was close to three o'clock when the knock on the door finally came. "Come in," I called as the door swung open. It was Joey from the telegraph office, and he had a wire for me. I tipped him and waited until he was gone before reading the telegram. The first thing I saw was the signature. I read it over once, then reread it just to be sure I understood it. _'Maverick - Frank McCook killed in attempt to evade arrest by U.S. Marshal Jesse Barton. Organization finished. Debt paid. Best Regards, Charlie Black.'_

I let out a breath _._ Would that be enough to stop Lee Ellsworth? I had no idea, all I could do was wait and see. It was almost another hour before I looked up from the ledger I was tryin' to balance and saw the slightest movement of the office door. "Come in, Ellsworth," I called, and the small man with the bad attitude did just that.

"You've been expecting me," he announced congenially. Despite the friendly tone of his voice, there was a gun in his left hand.

"I thought I'd give you a bigger target to aim at," I replied.

He shook his head. "No money, eh?"

"No money. But you might want to read this." I handed him the telegram.

He read it and then questioned me. "What is this? Some kind of a joke?"

"Does it sound like a joke? I just got that this morning, You know Charlie Black?"

A small nod of the head. "I know Charlie."

"You've got a decision to make, Lee. You can walk out of here a free man." I wondered how convincing I sounded.

"I can walk out of here with ten thousand dollars." Not convincing enough, I guess.

"No, you can't. There's no money for you, not from Garrett or from me. There's only a sheriff with a gun and a jail cell."

"Where is he? In your desk drawer?"

I smiled just a little, then. For some unknown reason, the hired gun hadn't closed the door when he entered Maude's office. Standing right behind him was Dave Parker. "Drop the gun. You're under arrest, Ellsworth, for the attempted murder of Anderson Garrett."

For a split second Ellsworth looked like he was about to turn and fire . . . but he didn't. Maybe it was the look on my face. Maybe it was the tone of Parker's voice. Maybe he just didn't want to die. Whatever it was, he dropped his gun and put his hands up. I pulled my derringer out of the desk, just as added protection, and Dave cuffed him, then looked at me with a lopsided grin. "Jerry," he called, and Jerry Samuels came running in from behind the bar. "Take Mr. Ellsworth over to the jail and see he gets the best cell we've got."

Once the two of them were gone, Dave sat in one of the chairs and asked me, "What kind of a telegram did you get this morning?" I handed it to him and let him read it for himself. He whistled. "Charlie Black. That's some high-powered muscle. How'd you know him? And what's the 'debt paid' mean?"

I shook my head. "I don't know for sure, Dave. He's Pappy's friend, not mine. Said Charlie owed him a favor, and elicited Black's help with the McCook problem. That's all I can tell you. You're welcome to ride out to Ben's when I go bring my family home later today and ask Pappy all the questions you want. You know Pappy. I just don't guarantee any answers."

"When are you gonna go out there?"

"Soon as I get the buggy hitched up, I'll bring it around the jail. Work for you?"

"Sure does. This is one time I'm gonna enjoy seeing your father."

XXXXXXXX

Dave followed me out to Ben's house, and I'm afraid I pushed poor Nevin pretty hard to get out there as fast as possible. Both of the girls were at the front door with their mother, clamoring to see me as soon as Doralice could get it open. I had them in my arms in a matter of seconds, while Doralice tried to talk to me. "Is it safe?" she asked when she saw Dave with me.

"It's all over," I answered as I handed one of the twins off to Pappy. "McCook's dead and Ellsworth's in jail.

"You heard from Charlie?" my father asked.

"I did. Got a telegram earlier today. When Ellsworth came to collect . . . "

"I collected him," Dave announced. "Mr. Maverick, I need to ask you some questions about Charlie Black."

"Charlie who?" Pappy asked.

"Can we get out of the doorway?" That was me, with an arm full of Belle, trying to get inside and get an armful of Doralice instead. I finally handed Belle to Anderson and made an attempt to hold onto my wife. She scooted out of my arms and reclaimed Maudie, but she was smiling at me as she did so.

The crowd moved slowly into the kitchen, where the adults populated the table, and my angels picked laps to sit in. This time I had Maude, who finally made a grab for my tie and giggled rapturously as she untied it. Lily Mae appeared from nowhere and poured coffee for the adults, all except Doralice, who got a glass of lemonade, along with the twins. While everyone drank I told the story of the morning, including the arrival of the telegram, followed by the appearance of Lee Ellsworth.

"You still have the telegram?" Pappy asked.

"Right here," and I produced it from inside my coat. Pappy read it over and handed it back with a smile on his face. That's when Dave stepped in.

"Mr. Maverick, I need to ask you some questions about that telegram and Charlie Black."

Amazingly, Pappy nodded and continued smiling. "Sheriff, why don't you bring your coffee into the front parlor, and we can discuss anything you'd like." Nobody was more surprised by Pappy's congenial attitude than Dave Parker, and they left for the parlor.

"Girls, how would you like to go see the dog and cats out in the barn?" Anderson asked, and my two precious gifts jumped up and grabbed Anderson's hands. Lily Mae, bless her, went with them. That left Doralice and me at the table.

"Is it really over?" my beautiful blonde asked."

"It's really over," I told her. "We can all go home now."

"Bart?"

"Yes, blue-eyes?"

"You're really going to work days and be home with us at night?"

I scooted my chair closer to hers and took her hand in mine. "If you still want me there."

She smiled, then leaned over and kissed me. "I do, baby, I do."

tbc


	17. Help

Chapter 16 – Help

Anderson was right about one thing. He left for Carson City on Friday. "I'm sorry about the way everything turned out. It was just meant to be a short, pleasant visit, not to disrupt your entire life like that."

Doralice kissed him on the cheek. "That's alright, Anderson, it all worked out in the end. And you will forever be 'my Andy' to Maudie."

The girls were at home with Maria Elena, more than likely playing their new version of 'bug.' "They're just beautiful. They made me miss my grandbabies. Now Rose can come home and bring everybody with her."

"Give her my best, would you?" I told him through the stagecoach window. "Tell her I'm sorry things didn't work out with Riley."

"I will. She'll be fine; she's got a whole new life ahead of her. And she'll be so happy for you and Doralice. As I am."

"Take care of yourself, Anderson!" Doralice called after the stage as it pulled away from the hotel.

Maybe now things would calm down and get back to normal. Maude and Cristian were due back in a day or two, we'd finally heard from Bret, and I was about ready to take over the bigger office at the saloon. We'd had to add another bartender to the staff at Maude's, and I couldn't wait for Mrs. de la Torres to meet Billy Sunday. She would just adore him, as Doralice did.

We walked back down the boardwalk and stopped to have lunch at Sawyer's. When Doralice ordered lemonade, Sawyer got a twinkle in her eye and asked simply, "When?"

"Christmas," my beautiful wife grinned, and I was tickled to death that we had another little one on the way. Doralice held firm in the belief that this would be a boy, and I had no reason to doubt her. After lunch, I walked blue-eyes home before returning to the saloon, and I was surprised to find a letter from Jody.

"I'm takin' it with me, and I'll bring it back this evening," I told Doralice after kissing her goodbye.

"Don't leave it at work. I'm dyin' to find out what's going on with her and Beckham."

"That makes two of us. Don't worry, I'll bring it back."

"You'll be home around six?"

Nine times out of ten that's when I usually went to work. This was the first week I'd been home every night for supper, and we were all still tryin' to get used to it. Maudie and Belle loved it, especially the part where daddy tucked them in and read them a bedtime story. I had picked 'The Little Red Bucket' like everyone before me; however, I was determined that we were going to finish it. And, as surprised as I was, they finally let me.

Later in the afternoon I needed a break, and I took out Jody's letter to read while I drank a cup of coffee.

 _Bartley – I'm sorry that it's been so long since I wrote to either you or Doralice. So many things have happened in that period of time that it would take a volume for me to explain everything to you._

 _Beckham and I did get married, and soon after that I made a wonderful discovery – we were going to have a child! Nothing went the way it was supposed to, and before I knew what had happened, there was no more baby. It almost destroyed us._

 _We still haven't recovered completely, and I think some time apart would do us a world of good. If it is acceptable to you and your lovely wife, I would like to come down and visit the two of you for the summer. Beckham might be able to join us at the very end of the season._

 _Please, I beg you, don't hold anything against me until you hear the whole story. I've missed your wise counsel and your brotherly love, and think that some time spent in Texas would do me a world of good. Please wire me and let me know if my visiting is agreeable to you and I will leave almost immediately. Bartley, I am literally begging you; I need your help._

 _Your loving sister,_

 _Jody Maverick Dooley_

I folded the letter and returned it to the envelope. I almost wept; Jody sounded so lost and distraught. I don't know what happened, but I know that Beck loved her madly, passionately, and would never deliberately do anything to hurt her. I got up from my desk and went straight to the telegraph office. My wire was short. _'Jody – Come as soon as you can. All our love, Bartley and Doralice.'_

Now all I could do was wait.

To be continued in _The Summer of Jody_


End file.
